SYNONYMS | EXAMPLES | WORD ORIGIN adjective very cold in temperature: a frigid climate.
without warmth of feeling; without ardor or enthusiasm: a frigid reaction to the suggested law.
stiff or formal: a welcome that was polite but frigid.
(of a woman) inhibited in the ability to experience sexual excitement during sexual activity. unresponsive to sexual advances or stimuli. unemotional or unimaginative; lacking passion, sympathy, or sensitivity: a correct, but frigid presentation.
Origin of frigid 1590–1600; <
Latin frīgidus, equivalent to
frīg(us ) coldness (akin to
Greek rhîgos; see
rigid ) +
-idus -id4 Related forms frig·id·ness , noun frig·id·ly , adverb non·frig·id , adjective non·frig·id·ly , adverb non·frig·id·ness , noun un·frig·id , adjective un·frig·id·ly , adverb un·frig·id·ness , noun Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for frigid ice-cold ,
frozen ,
freezing ,
chilly ,
icy ,
frosty ,
glacial ,
wintry ,
forbidding ,
cold ,
arctic ,
chill ,
cool ,
gelid ,
snappy ,
Siberian ,
antarctic ,
icebox ,
aloof ,
austere Examples from the Web for frigid Contemporary Examples of frigid After a half-century of frigid relations, the U.S. and Cuba have agreed to a thaw as the result of 18 months of secret talks.
Russia is rapidly building up its military forces in the Arctic in an effort to secure its claims in the frigid region.
Famine and frigid temperatures ensued, and roughly 10 percent of the population died.
She never liked her mother—a frigid and inattentive woman—but adored her father.
In the frigid temperatures, demonstrators constructed barricades, built a massive tent city and occupied government buildings.
Historical Examples of frigid No sign of recognition; rather a cold, frigid stare, I thought.
The General, with a frigid nod, moved on a few paces and left them together.
The house was in darkness, and the moon brought it out in silvery, frigid relief.
Down there at Vernon, in my frigid room, I bit my pillow to stifle my cries.
He was frigid , through no fault of his own, and without cruelty.
British Dictionary definitions for frigid adjective formal or stiff in behaviour or temperament; lacking in affection or warmth
(esp of a woman) lacking sexual responsiveness averse to sexual intercourse or unable to achieve orgasm during intercourse characterized by physical coldness a frigid zone
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Derived Forms frigidity or frigidness , noun frigidly , adverb Word Origin for frigid C15: from Latin frigidus cold, from frīgēre to be cold, freeze; related to Latin frīgus frost
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for frigid adj. 1620s, from Latin frigidus "cold, chill, cool," figuratively "indifferent," from stem of frigere "be cold;" related to frigus "cold, coldness, frost," from PIE root *srig- "cold."
The meaning "wanting in sexual heat" is attested from 1650s. Frigidaire as the proprietary name of a brand of self-contained automatically operated iceless refrigerator dates from 1919 (Frigidaire Corporation, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
adj. Extremely cold.
Persistently averse to sexual intercourse.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
