cold

[kohld] /koʊld/
adjective, colder, coldest.
1.
having a relatively low temperature; having little or no warmth:
cold water; a cold day.
2.
feeling an uncomfortable lack of warmth; chilled:
The skaters were cold.
3.
having a temperature lower than the normal temperature of the human body:
cold hands.
4.
lacking in passion, emotion, enthusiasm, ardor, etc.; dispassionate:
cold reason.
5.
not affectionate, cordial, or friendly; unresponsive:
a cold reply; a cold reception.
6.
lacking sensual desire:
She remained cold to his advances.
7.
failing to excite feeling or interest:
the cold precision of his prose.
8.
unexcitable; imperturbable:
cold impassivity.
9.
depressing; dispiriting:
the cold atmosphere of a hospital waiting room.
10.
unconscious because of a severe blow, shock, etc.:
I knocked him cold with an uppercut.
11.
lacking the warmth of life; lifeless:
When the doctor arrived, the body was already cold.
12.
faint; weak:
The dogs lost the cold scent.
13.
(in games) distant from the object of search or the correct answer.
14.
Slang. (in sports and games) not scoring or winning; ineffective:
Cold shooting and poor rebounding were their undoing.
15.
Art.
  1. having cool colors, especially muted tones tending toward grayish blue.
  2. being a cool color.
16.
slow to absorb heat, as a soil containing a large amount of clay and hence retentive of moisture.
17.
Metalworking. noting or pertaining to any process involving plastic deformation of a metal at a temperature below that at which recrystallization can occur because of the strain:
cold working.
noun
18.
the relative absence of heat:
Everyone suffered from the intense cold.
19.
the sensation produced by loss of heat from the body, as by contact with anything having a lower temperature than that of the body:
He felt the cold of the steel door against his cheek.
20.
cold weather:
He can't take the cold.
21.
Also called common cold. a respiratory disorder characterized by sneezing, sore throat, coughing, etc., caused by an allergic reaction or by a viral, bacterial, or mixed infection.
adverb
22.
with complete competence, thoroughness, or certainty; absolutely:
He learned his speech cold.
23.
without preparation or prior notice:
She had to play the lead role cold.
24.
in an abrupt, unceremonious manner:
He quit the job cold.
25.
Metalworking. at a temperature below that at which recrystallization can occur (sometimes used in combination):
to cold-hammer an iron bar; The wire was drawn cold.
Idioms
26.
catch / take cold, to get or suffer from a cold:
We all caught cold during that dreadful winter.
27.
go cold, Slang. (in sports and games) to become unproductive or ineffective; be unable to score.
28.
in cold blood. blood (def 20).
29.
in from the cold, out of a position or condition of exile, concealment, isolation, or alienation:
Since the new government promised amnesty, fugitive rebels are coming in from the cold.
30.
left out in the cold, neglected; ignored; forgotten:
After the baby came, the young husband felt left out in the cold.
Also, out in the cold.
31.
throw cold water on, to disparage; disapprove of; dampen the enthusiasm of:
They threw cold water on her hopes to take acting classes.
Origin
before 950; Middle English; Old English cald, ceald; cognate with Gothic kalds, Old Norse kaldr, German kalt, Dutch koud; akin to Latin gel- in gelidus gelid
Related forms
coldish, adjective
coldly, adverb
coldness, noun
overcold, adjective
overcoldly, adverb
Synonyms
1. frigid, gelid, frozen, freezing. Cold, chill, chilly, cool refer to various degrees of absence of heat. Cold refers to temperature possibly so low as to cause suffering: cold water. Chill suggests a penetrating cold which causes shivering and numbness: There was a chill wind blowing. Chilly is a weaker word, though it also connotes shivering and discomfort: a chilly room. Cool means merely somewhat cold, not warm: cool and comfortable. All have figurative uses. 4. indifferent, uninvolved, cool, unconcerned, imperturbable. 5. apathetic, unsympathetic, unfeeling, heartless, polite, formal, reserved, unfriendly, inimical, hostile. 7. uninspiring, dull. 8. calm, deliberate.
Antonyms
1. hot. 4. warm, emotional. 13. warm.
British Dictionary definitions for out in the cold

cold

/kəʊld/
adjective
1.
having relatively little warmth; of a rather low temperature: cold weather, cold hands
2.
without sufficient or proper warmth: this meal is cold
3.
lacking in affection, enthusiasm, or warmth of feeling: a cold manner
4.
not affected by emotion; objective: cold logic
5.
dead
6.
sexually unresponsive or frigid
7.
lacking in freshness: a cold scent, cold news
8.
chilling to the spirit; depressing
9.
(of a colour) having violet, blue, or green predominating; giving no sensation of warmth
10.
(metallurgy) denoting or relating to a process in which work-hardening occurs as a result of the plastic deformation of a metal at too low a temperature for annealing to take place
11.
(of a process) not involving heat, in contrast with traditional methods: cold typesetting, cold technology
12.
(informal) (of a seeker) far from the object of a search
13.
denoting the contacting of potential customers, voters, etc, without previously approaching them in order to establish their interest: cold mailing
14.
cold comfort, little or no comfort
15.
cold steel, the use of bayonets, knives, etc, in combat
16.
from cold, without advance notice; without giving preparatory information
17.
in cold blood, showing no passion; deliberately; ruthlessly
18.
(informal) leave someone cold, to fail to excite someone: the performance left me cold
19.
(informal) throw cold water on, pour cold water on, to be unenthusiastic about or discourage
noun
20.
the absence of heat regarded as a positive force: the cold took away our breath
21.
the sensation caused by loss or lack of heat
22.
(informal) in the cold, out in the cold, neglected; ignored
23.
an acute viral infection of the upper respiratory passages characterized by discharge of watery mucus from the nose, sneezing, etc
24.
(slang) catch a cold, to make a loss; lose one's investment
adverb
25.
(informal) without preparation: he played his part cold
26.
(informal, mainly US & Canadian) thoroughly; absolutely: she turned him down cold
Derived Forms
coldish, adjective
coldly, adverb
coldness, noun
Word Origin
Old English ceald; related to Old Norse kaldr, Gothic kalds, Old High German kalt; see cool
Word Origin and History for out in the cold

cold

adj.

Old English cald (Anglian), ceald (West Saxon) "cold, cool" (adj.), "coldness," from Proto-Germanic *kaldaz (cf. Old Frisian and Old Saxon kald, Old High German and German kalt, Old Norse kaldr, Gothic kalds "cold"), possibly a past participle adjective of *kal-/*kol-, from PIE root *gel-/*gol- "cold" (cf. Latin gelare "to freeze," gelu "frost," glacies "ice").

Meaning "not strong" (in reference to scent) is 1590s, from hunting. Cold front in weather is from 1921. Cold-call in the sales pitch sense first recorded 1972. Japanese has two words for "cold:" samui for coldness in the atmosphere or environment; tsumetai for things which are cold to touch, and also in the figurative sense, with reference to personalities, behaviors, etc.

n.

c.1300, "coldness," from cold (adj.). Sense in common cold is 1530s, from symptoms resembling those of exposure to cold; cf. earlier senses "indisposition caused by exposure to cold" (early 14c.); "discomfort caused by cold" (c.1300).

out in the cold in Medicine

cold (kōld)
n.
A viral infection characterized by inflammation of the mucous membranes lining the upper respiratory passages and usually accompanied by malaise, fever, chills, coughing, and sneezing. Also called coryza, acute rhinitis, common cold, coryza.

Slang definitions & phrases for out in the cold

cold

adjective
  1. Unconscious; out: The snowball knocked him cold (1896+)
  2. Undergoing a spell of bad luck: I got out of that game because I was cold and Pop was hot
  3. Without rehearsal, practice, or warmup: When the star got sick, this woman had to take over the part cold (1890s+)
  4. Insulting; cruel: That's really cold, Duffy (1980s+)
adverb
  1. Perfectly; in every detail; blind: She knew the subject cold (1890s+)
  2. With no possibility of evasion; definitively; dead to rights: After that slip they had him cold (1908+)
Related Terms

blow hot and cold, hot and cold


Related Abbreviations for out in the cold

COLD

  1. chronic obstructive lung disease
  2. computer output to laser disk
Idioms and Phrases with out in the cold

out in the cold

Excluded from benefits given to others, neglected, as in Her stand on abortion left her out in the cold with the party. This idiom alludes to being left outdoors without shelter. [ Mid-1800s ]
Also see: come in from the cold

cold

also see: