cool, calm, and collected

Idioms

Calm and composed, self-possessed. For example, No matter what the board decides, you have to appear cool, calm, and collected in front of the stockholders. This alliterative synonym for cool as a cucumber dates from the late 1800s.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

cool, calm, and collected

"Just stay cool, calm and collected, take a sauna, take a nice bath, analyse the situation and act accordingly."

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

Whatever the circumstance — cold, snow, rain, wind, noise — Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is cool, calm and collected.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 21, 2026

“The only people who might be more cool, calm and collected than him in that moment are his teammates — because we have the utmost belief in him,” Jackson said.

From Seattle Times ● May 3, 2024

Erin, 22, said "you've just got to remain cool, calm and collected and go through the drills".

From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2024

“Mr. McAllister,” she begins, all cool, calm, and collected.

From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023