Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Neither warm nor very cold; moderately cold.
- adjective Giving or suggesting relief from heat.
- adjective Marked by calm self-control.
- adjective Marked by indifference, disdain, or dislike; unfriendly or unresponsive.
- adjective Of, relating to, or characteristic of colors, such as blue and green, that produce the impression of coolness.
- adjective Knowledgeable or aware of the latest trends or developments.
- adjective Excellent; first-rate.
- adjective Acceptable; satisfactory.
- adjective Slang Entire; full.
- adverb Informal In a casual manner; nonchalantly.
- intransitive verb To make less warm.
- intransitive verb To make less ardent, intense, or zealous.
- intransitive verb Physics To reduce the molecular or kinetic energy of (an object).
- intransitive verb To become less warm.
- intransitive verb To become calmer.
- noun A cool place, part, or time.
- noun The state or quality of being cool.
- noun Composure; poise.
- idiom (cool it) To calm down; relax.
- idiom (cool it) To stop doing something.
- idiom (cool (one's) heels) To wait or be kept waiting.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A moderate or refreshing state of cold; moderate temperature of the air between hot and cold.
- noun An obsolete spelling of
cole . - In painting, to strengthen (colors) on the blue and violet side of the spectrum, or to reduce (reds and yellows).
- Moderately cold; being of a temperature neither warm nor very cold: as, cool air; cool water.
- Having a slight or not intense sensation of cold. See
cold , a., 3. - Not producing heat or warmth; permitting or imparting a sensation of coolness; allowing coolness, especially by facilitating radiation of heat or access of cool air, or by intercepting radiated heat: as, a cool dress.
- In figurative uses:
- Not excited or heated by passion of any kind; without ardor or visible emotion; calm; unmoved: as, a cool temper; a cool lover.
- Not hasty; deliberate: as, a cool purpose.
- Manifesting coldness, apathy, or dislike; chilling; frigid: as, a cool manner.
- Quietly impudent, defiant, or selfish; deliberately presuming: said of persons and acts.
- Absolute; without qualification; round: used in speaking of a sum of money, generally a large sum, by way of emphasizing the amount.
- Unconcerned, lukewarm, indifferent; cold-blooded, repellent
- To make cool or cold; reduce the temperature of: as, ice cools water.
- To allay the warmth or heated feeling of; impart a sensation of coolness to; cause to feel cool.
- To abate the ardor or intensity of; allay, as passion or strong emotion of any kind; calm, as anger; moderate, as desire, zeal, or ardor; render indifferent.
- To mitigate.
- To become cool; become less hot; lose heat.
- To lose the heat of excitement, passion, or emotion; become less ardent, angry, zealous, affectionate, etc.; become more moderate.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A moderate state of cold; coolness; -- said of the temperature of the air between hot and cold.
- adjective Moderately cold; between warm and cold; lacking in warmth; producing or promoting coolness.
- adjective Not ardent, warm, fond, or passionate; not hasty; deliberate; exercising self-control; self-possessed; dispassionate; indifferent.
- adjective Not retaining heat; light.
- adjective Manifesting coldness or dislike; chilling; apathetic.
- adjective Quietly impudent; negligent of propriety in matters of minor importance, either ignorantly or willfully; presuming and selfish; audacious.
- adjective Applied facetiously, in a vague sense, to a sum of money, commonly as if to give emphasis to the largeness of the amount.
- intransitive verb To become less hot; to lose heat.
- intransitive verb To lose the heat of excitement or passion; to become more moderate.
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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More than a few Democratic politicians use the term cool or cold to describe the president.
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More than a few Democratic politicians use the term cool or cold to describe the president.
NYT > Home Page By ALBERT R. HUNT | BLOOMBERG NEWS 2011
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Sebastian stood there, his expression cool and gloating, his arms outstretched, his fingers almost touching the tunnel walls.
City of Glass Cassandra Clare 2009
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Sebastian stood there, his expression cool and gloating, his arms outstretched, his fingers almost touching the tunnel walls.
Cassandra Clare: The Mortal Instrument Series Cassandra Clare 2009
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She turned to face him, her expression cool and unreadable.
Strangers In the Night Linda Howard 2001
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He winced; God, how many times was he going to use the word cool?
Nineteen Minutes Jodi Picoult 2007
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He winced; God, how many times was he going to use the word cool?
Nineteen Minutes Jodi Picoult 2007
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And the French use the word cool, which is no longer really used that much in England, so I sound like some sort of 70s throwback...
Reason 37 why I enjoy the company of fellow expatriates, and vice versa: 2005
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The deficit is worth a reference; it is for what they call a cool sum, Frank.
The Lock and Key Library Classic Mystery and Detective Stories: Modern English Egerton Castle 1889
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Caroline Lubbers has always devoted a great deal of time and energy to finding what she calls cool presents for her marketing firm's clients.
unknown title 2009
tankexmortis commented on the word cool
Who defines cool?
I do.
January 22, 2007
seanahan commented on the word cool
Hard to argue with that Tank.
January 22, 2007
tankexmortis commented on the word cool
Arrogance, like stupidity, is always difficult to argue with.
February 1, 2007
whichbe commented on the word cool
A contranym: both good and bad.
May 15, 2008
yarb commented on the word cool
Daddy and Mummy lay in the gras by the streem and I played round about and had oranj juse then Mummy and daddy has some wine that was cooling in the streem.
- Peter Reading, C, 1984
July 23, 2008
recombinantdna commented on the word cool
Cool as a cucumber.
August 3, 2008
oroboros commented on the word cool
According to an NPR piece I heard today, Lester Young, the great saxophonist coined the slang usage of the word "cool" as a culturally favorable adjective. Also, "bread" to mean money.
August 28, 2009
zo commented on the word cool
Im cool.
March 30, 2010