icily

American  

[ahy-suh-lee] / ˈaɪ sə li /

adverb

1. in an icy manner.

   I received him icily because of the harsh way he had treated me.

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icily British  

/ ˈaɪsɪlɪ /

adverb

1. in an icy or reserved manner

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Other Word Forms

• iciness noun

Etymology

Origin of icily

First recorded in 1840–50; icy + -ly

Example Sentences

Djrum, the project of British musician Felix Manuel, issued “Under Tangled Silence,” an icily pretty record that combined jazzy and neoclassical piano flourishes with fleet and skittering drum programming borrowed from ’90s styles like jungle.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025

Caroline hugs Ken, and after icily embracing Shiv, kicks off a baby reveal exchange for the ages.

From Salon • May 22, 2023

Last year’s “Famous Orders” campaign for McDonald’s made the icily cool rap star Travis Scott appear as kid-friendly as a Happy Meal.

From New York Times • Oct. 14, 2022

Sean Connery carried it off with icily disdainful style, perhaps at the baccarat table, in full evening dress with a cigarette hanging from his lips.

From The Guardian • Aug. 25, 2020

Franny said, as icily as she could with a faint tremor in her voice, “May I interrupt now, Zooey?”

From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger