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Synonyms

refrigerant

American  
[ri-frij-er-uhnt] / rɪˈfrɪdʒ ər ənt /

adjective

  1. refrigerating; cooling.

  2. reducing bodily heat or fever.

noun

  1. a refrigerant agent, as a drug.

  2. a liquid capable of vaporizing at a low temperature, as ammonia, used in mechanical refrigeration.

  3. a cooling substance, as ice or solid carbon dioxide, used in a refrigerator.

refrigerant British  
/ rɪˈfrɪdʒərənt /

noun

  1. a fluid capable of changes of phase at low temperatures: used as the working fluid of a refrigerator

  2. a cooling substance, such as ice or solid carbon dioxide

  3. med an agent that provides a sensation of coolness or reduces fever

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. causing cooling or freezing

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
refrigerant Scientific  
/ rĭ-frĭj′ər-ənt /

  1. A substance, such as ice or ammonia, used to cool something by absorbing heat from it. Refrigerants are usually substances that evaporate quickly. In the process of evaporation they draw heat from surrounding substances.

Other Word Forms

  • nonrefrigerant adjective

Etymology

Origin of refrigerant

1590–1600; < Latin refrīgerant- (stem of refrīgerāns ), present participle of refrīgerāre. See refrigerate, -ant

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.

Chemist Roy Plunkett accidentally created Teflon while experimenting with refrigerant gases.

From Science Daily • Mar. 14, 2026

Unlike a gas furnace, which burns fuel to create heat, a heat pump compresses and expands a refrigerant, like a refrigerator in reverse.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026

Those seasonal tuneups start with simple tasks like changing filters, inspecting refrigerant levels and keeping outdoor components clean, according to the experts at Constellation.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 28, 2026

Air source heat pumps - the most common type - suck in outdoor air and pass it over tubes containing refrigerant fluids.

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2026

He keeps adding refrigerant for the air conditioner, but it’s busted, along with the door locks, so we always ride with the windows down no matter how hot it is outside.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

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.