cozy
Americanadjective
-
cozier,
comparative
-
coziest
superlative
-
comfortable and snug.
We live in a cozy little house with a small garden in the back.
-
convenient or beneficial, usually as a result of dishonesty or connivance.
A very cozy agreement between competing firms had kept the industry profitable for years.
-
suggesting opportunistic or conspiratorial intimacy.
The exposé revealed a cozy relationship between lobbyists and some politicians.
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discreetly reticent or noncommittal.
The administrators are remaining cozy about which policy they plan to adopt.
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relating to a genre of mystery stories with little suspense, explicit violence, or sexual content, often also having amateur sleuths and idyllic, intimate settings.
I read lots of different books, but I like cozy mysteries best.
Charming characters and just the right amount of danger make this cozy series a delight to read.
noun
-
cozies
plural
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a padded covering for a teapot or coffeepot to retain the heat of the contents.
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a mystery story with little suspense, explicit violence, or sexual content, often also having amateur sleuths and idyllic, intimate settings.
I started out reading cozies and moved on to the hard-boiled detective novels.
verb (used with object)
verb phrase
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of cozy
First recorded in 1700–10; from Scots colsie, perhaps from Scandinavian; compare Norwegian koselig “cozy,” kose seg “to enjoy oneself”
Explanation
The adjective cozy describes being comfortable and warm, like when you feel cozy curled up on the couch under a soft blanket, in front of a roaring fire. "Isn't this cozy?" If you hear these words, you might be in a friendly, casual place where everyone feels welcome. Or, perhaps you are in a small cabin that is warm and dry as they rain pours down outside. Or you have just stumbled upon the judge of a writing contest having dinner with one of the aspiring novelists — cozy can also mean "scheming." And as a noun? A cozy is a padded cloth used to keep a teapot warm.
Vocabulary lists containing cozy
The Circuit
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Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
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And Then, Boom!
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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:
In addition to its soaring ceilings, the home also boasts multiple cozy fireplaces and wooden beams.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
This breezy romp is a refreshing change from overwrought epics and anxiously earnest stories-with-a-message; Ibbotson’s offbeat, cozy prose reads like a daffier Ms. Rowling or a kinder Roald Dahl.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Come for a cozy evening of soup and fall movies.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
The striking sculpture will hover over a cozy space with modular bookshelves that are arranged on a floor covered in book quotes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
The room they stood in was small but cozy, with a fire burning in a fireplace to their right.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
Horseradish is often at its best when it cozies up to cream, like in a traditional steak sauce, or when it mingles with tomatoes, as in a classic cocktail sauce.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2025
In my mind, the biggest problem with this isn’t necessarily that he cozies up to pseudoscience.
From Slate ● Jan. 20, 2025
It cozies up a space and provides cushioning for a tired cook’s feet.
From Washington Times ● May 9, 2023
Endeavoring to access Langley’s notebooks, she cozies up to his niece, a down-at-the-heels dealer in antiquarian books who isn’t above employing a little Lee Israel-style hocus-pocus to produce fake inventory for a credulous clientele.
From New York Times ● Feb. 1, 2019
"Zeems to me tha's zummat like the burd what cozies a new mate ivery zummer!"
From The Treasure of Heaven A Romance of Riches by Marie Corelli
If OpenAI gets cozier with the government, Altman will likely have significant influence over AI regulations, said PitchBook analyst Harrison Rolfes.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
For cozier evenings, there is a separate family room, complete with its own fireplace, enormous windows, and the same exposed beams that run through the main living area.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 1, 2026
What could be cozier than a flock of charismatic sheep hunting their shepherd’s killer?
From Salon ● May 17, 2026
For a cozier option, head to Stargazy, a pie shop that has quietly become a hub for soccer-crazed Brits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 20, 2025
The fireplace didn’t work, but even the idea of it made the room cozier.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
This roasting kit helps revive one of wintertime’s coziest pleasures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 20, 2025
No constant monitoring, no worry and it is the coziest way I know to show off your plentitude of homegrown, or market procured, fresh produce.
From Salon ● Apr. 10, 2025
Known for their playful take on ceramics through the use of animations, Shohei Fujita and Chisato Yamano lend their ultra-cute designs of playful racoons, penguins and bears to the coziest winter wear.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2023
So, grab your caldron of hot cocoa, light those pumpkin-scented candles you claim you hate but secretly love, and learn how to make your home the coziest haunt on the block.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 20, 2023
The warmest and coziest of them were the Bears from California.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
The rear cabin matches the front in molded-leather magnificence, with two deep-seated, high-bolstered rear chairs cozied up between the wheel wells, sharing an armrest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026
Recently, 50 Cent has cozied up to Republican politicians.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2024
“McKinsey now has offices all over the world, and from them they’ve cozied up to some truly terrible clients,” Oliver said.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 3, 2023
But then, in the 1980s, a bunch of Soviets showed up out of nowhere and cozied up to him.
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2023
Further research revealed that Penkovsky, as an intelligence officer, had cozied up to some of the highest-ranking members of the Soviet military.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
It’s not just El-Sayed who is cozying up to Piker.
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026
In the meantime, YouTube campaigned to “normalize” itself in classrooms in part by cozying up to Parent Teacher Associations, school districts alleged in a lawsuit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
The couple first sparked romance rumors in July when they were seen cozying up in Spain together.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 4, 2026
Meyer celebrated that occasion on Instagram with a carousel of photos showing Stewart cozying up with a furry white cat and working behind the scenes on recent projects.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2025
I remember cozying up in Mom’s bed, her laptop in front of us, and feeling happy.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
