ice cool
1
6.2
- adjective
- Informal
:
tranquilo
- Even when faced with difficult questions, the politician stayed ice cool and composed.
Examples
-
Oh, she's ice-cool.
-
She remained ice cool during the intense pressure of the competition.
-
In the face of criticism, she was ice cool, responding with confidence and poise.
Synonyms
735
1.0
Not showing strong feelings and being very still
56
3.7
Calm and not easily worried
15
5.0
Calm and not easily upset, like a quiet lake
2
2.2
Being relaxed and calm or made cold
1
5.1
Able to stay calm and think clearly in difficult situations
1
4.1
Calm and not nervous even in a difficult situation
Being very calm and not showing fear in a stressful situation
Move or rest very calmly, like a cat on something cool
Antonyms
How Calm
Surface Forms
Morphology
ice + cool
The meaning 'extremely calm and unflustered' is transparently derived from combining 'ice' (very cold/frozen) with 'cool' (calm), where 'ice' functions as an intensifier of 'cool'. This temperature-to-emotion metaphor is common cross-linguistically and follows a straightforward compositional pattern that a B1 learner who knows both words can plausibly infer.
Etymology
Ice cool paints a simple picture: someone like ice, very cold and unmoved, who does not show any worry or heat. That's why ice cool means 'extremely calm and unflustered', even in stressful moments.