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.
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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
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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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Words to Describe Homes
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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:
The living room is the perfect place to unwind thanks to its cozy fireplace and French doors that open to mature landscaping.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
People think of these mysteries as very cozy at times and a bit safe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
You could ache for the cozy city of the past in “The Royal Tenenbaums” or grabble with the schism of everything suddenly feeling different in “Mulholland Drive.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
They’re surprisingly warm inside, and ours made a cozy setting for pork belly skewers, crab puffs and smoked cocktails.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
It felt like she was in the cozy den of a Conjuror.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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
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
"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
The pitch: A members club offering a cozier take on fractional jet ownership.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
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
Each week the autumn grew colder and wetter, and the inn, although dirty and drafty, was much cozier than any barn or dung heap to be found outside, so she remained, empty of heart.
From "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman
This roasting kit helps revive one of wintertime’s coziest pleasures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 20, 2025
“Malcolm started following the shifting sun and staking his claim to the coziest spot each season,” she says.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 22, 2024
The coziest of cozy British mysteries, based on G.K.
From New York Times ● Jun. 1, 2023
In this, our third pandemic year, the coziest, most unctuous dishes still reigned supreme.
From Salon ● Dec. 30, 2022
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
“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
By March 5, Twitter account @thepoptingz reported that Depp and 070 Shake were dating and posted a photo of the two cozied up for a mirror selfie, wearing motorcycle jackets and matching driving gloves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 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
Bardem gets the most, and most extreme attitudes, to play, whether cozying up individually to the Bowdens, threatening a groupie, undergoing a religious conversion, acting normal or being weird.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
Faye, meanwhile, is disturbed at the sight of her agent and editor cozying up to Abby; are they plotting to dump Faye in favor of her nemesis?
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
The couple first sparked romance rumors in July when they were seen cozying up in Spain together.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 4, 2026
Then the short woman with the big smile sat with them, cozying up beside Kathy.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
