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.
-
discreetly reticent or noncommittal.
The administrators are remaining cozy about which policy they plan to adopt.
-
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:
That’s fire, the kind that makes you want to cozy up under a blanket with your favorite mug of tea.
From Salon ● Oct. 27, 2026
In addition to its soaring ceilings, the home also boasts multiple cozy fireplaces and wooden beams.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
He took swimming and tennis lessons at his local YMCA, but more importantly, he holed up in its cozy reading nook.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Other cozy options include “The Other Bennet Sister,” the Jane Austen riff, and “Downton Abbey.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
An abundance of knitted sweaters and scarves began to appear on the household staff, which gave a cozy feeling to the grand house.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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
“Now we can’t live without them,” said Becky Blystone, a preschool teacher who also works at All Things Carmel, a souvenir shop on Main Street that sells roundabout-themed tchotchkes like drink cozies and playing cards.
From New York Times ● Nov. 20, 2021
After a stream of singles ping-ponging between laid-back R&B and frenetic Bay Area-informed raps, the singer/rapper cozies up to her sultry R&B side on this year’s “On One” EP.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 6, 2021
It's very English, with the tea cozies and all that sort of frills, and some of their luncheon dishes are delicious.
From Revelations of a Wife The Story of a Honeymoon by Adele Garrison
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
A large open-plan kitchen comes complete with a casual dining space, ideal for hosting large groups, while the sun-soaked living room boasts its own fireplace for cozier evenings during the winter months.
From MarketWatch ● May 27, 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
Burgundy curtains shut the darkness outside and made the one big room even cozier.
From "Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution" by Ji-li Jiang
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
“A wing chair is one of the coziest pieces of furniture to have in a room.”
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 8, 2024
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
He made the hole in the bag still larger, crawled inside, and curled up in the coziest bed he had ever known.
From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary
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
One of the funnier phenomena online in recent weeks is how the Reddit forum for Joe Rogan fans has turned on the podcaster, mostly because they can't stand how he's cozied up to Musk.
From Salon ● Mar. 20, 2025
“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
The heart of Screenland is cozying up to artificial intelligence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
His FDA is promoting testosterone therapy for men while cozying up to men’s health influencers such as Joe Rogan and Andrew Huberman.
From Slate ● Jul. 29, 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
I didn't see the first shot, 'cause we were cozying up on the stoop there like normal, but I saw the second one.
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
