midwinter

American  

[mid-win-ter, -win-, mid-win-ter] / ˈmɪdˈwɪn tər, -ˌwɪn-, ˈmɪdˌwɪn tər /

noun

1. the middle of winter.

2. the winter solstice, around December 22.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or occurring in the middle of the winter.

midwinter British  

/ ˈmɪdˈwɪntə /

noun

1. 1. the middle or depth of the winter

   2. ( as modifier )

      a midwinter festival

2. another name for winter solstice

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Other Word Forms

• midwinterly adjective
• midwintry adjective

Etymology

Origin of midwinter

before 1150; Middle English, Old English; mid ¹, winter

Example Sentences

As the child of penny-pinching Sicilian parents, I’m all too familiar with the dread surrounding the thermostat come midwinter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

How were so many otherwise reasonable people pranked into venturing to an empty Brooklyn Bridge Park in the bleak midwinter as 2025 ebbed to nothing, for nothing?

From Salon • Jan. 21, 2026

In fact, there are two small islands in the middle of the Bering Strait, where you could potentially walk from the United States to Russia in midwinter.

From BBC • Jan. 14, 2026

As a result, vegetation that would typically be full of water by midwinter instead remained parched.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 10, 2025

Less than a day ago, I was prepared to head into the wilderness with my loved ones in midwinter, with the very real possibility of the Capitol pursuing us.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins