cool cat
Americannoun
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a fashionable or hip person.
Being the cool cat that I was in high school, I would often stop in at the vegan store for coffee on the way home.
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a person who is easygoing, casual, and calm.
He was the most laid-back cool cat I ever met—he took everything in stride.
-
an admirable or excellent person.
An ACLU lawyer, drug reformer, and generally cool cat, she is seriously considering a bid for mayor.
Etymology
Origin of cool cat
First recorded in 1920–25
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.
"Brilliant, son. He's a cool cat this kid, I tell you," ex-Ibrox winger and coach Neil McCann said on Premier Sports.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2025
"I needed to know this was going somewhere if I was going to give up this really cool cat," she said.
From Salon ● Feb. 13, 2023
I watched the foursome take the stage, and my eyes immediately locked on this one cool cat singing and dancing his heart out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2022
In its statement, the band called Mr. Thomas “the quintessential cool cat in the group,” saying that he “was the group’s wardrobe stylist who made sure they always looked fresh.”
From Washington Post ● Aug. 9, 2021
But Father played the cool cat, not admitting what a miserable failure he had been so far at the Christianizing trade.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
