cold comfort

noun

slight or negligible comfort; scarce consolation.

Origin

1565-75

Examples from the web for cold comfort

And from a public policy perspective, it's still cold comfort.
But still, such wisdom is cold comfort for those praying for a break-any break-to get back in the workforce.
But proving that poetry is still possible after devastating loss has been a cold comfort.
And thankfully, it has a shelf life, but that is cold comfort for those living in the here and now.
Of course that is cold comfort to the creditors who have lost money.
Many of these triggers are confidential, which is cold comfort for bondholders.
That's cold comfort to the billion or so people who lack adequate daily nutrition.
Enforcement actions are cold comfort for investors who lost their savings after relying on misrepresentations or half-truths.

Idioms and Phrases with cold comfort

cold comfort

Slight or no consolation. For example, He can't lend us his canoe but will tell us where to rent one—that's cold comfort. The adjective cold was being applied to comfort in this sense by the early 1300s, and Shakespeare used the idiom numerous times.