cold shoulders 1 of 2

noun

plural of cold shoulder
as in dismissals
treatment that is deliberately unfriendly at the party the two former friends consciously gave each other the cold shoulder

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cold-shoulders

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of cold-shoulder
as in isolates
to deliberately ignore or treat rudely cold-shouldered by his old friends after his family had lost all of its money

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cold shoulders
Noun
There are screaming matches and cold shoulders. — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026 These rules were administered via cold shoulders and whispers. — Alessandra Schade, Time, 5 Aug. 2025 My first issue, in January, launched Nan Goldin’s campaign against the Sackler family for their role in the opioid epidemic, and this action has inspired cold shoulders from the philanthropic class. — David Velasco, Harpers Magazine, 18 Dec. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cold shoulders
  1. dismissals
  2. isolates
  3. snubs
  4. rejects
  5. cuts
  6. repulses
Noun
  • This came after the company fired three safety and alignment researchers, though OpenAI said the dismissals were not tied to employees voicing safety concerns.
    — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Only 14 cases led to suspensions and seven to expulsions or dismissals.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of dismissals
Verb
  • The defense team plans to employ Othram to conduct a Y-STR test, a method that isolates DNA from the Y chromosome to generate a profile of a male contributor in samples where female DNA is predominant.
    — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The field is monitored by a superheterodyne circuit that isolates different frequencies in the field and looks for changes in intensity that indicate the presence of, among other things, metal objects.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of isolates
Noun
  • As his son Charles recounts in Swan Song, when Diana considered calling off her wedding to Prince Charles after suffering various snubs from the heir to the throne, Count Spencer flatly rejected his youngest daughter’s idea.
    — Diego Parrado, Vanity Fair, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Its complete omission from the 2026 Latin Grammy nominations was one of the most notable snubs on Wednesday morning.
    — Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of snubs
Verb
  • But the arrangement rejects the conflict of interest protections that his recent predecessors in office had instituted.
    — Fatima Hussein, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Israel rejects this, viewing the territory as disputed rather than occupied.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of rejects
Verb
  • Limiting it to households with wealth under $500,000 — about 70% of Americans — cuts that to $190 billion.
    — Sarah Cannon, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Maribeth cuts her eyes over at me to see how all this is landing.
    — George Saunders, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of cuts
Verb
  • Her widowed aunt plays chaperone as Susanna attends heady lectures and repulses her many suitors.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Sigmund Freud believed that every crush has a strand of disgust, that people are attracted to what repulses them.
    — Daniel Felsenthal, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of repulses

Browse Nearby Words

cold-shouldering
cold shoulders
cold-shoulders
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cold shoulders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cold%20shoulders. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All