Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
out in the cold

out in the cold

16 7.4
Left out by a group of people
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : excluido
  • I'm left out in the cold, too, Bothwell... ...and these lassies have no time for plain Scotsmen.
  • left out in the cold

The Trump administration left thousands of Americans out in the cold with no concern for their health.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • But most Sunday mornings, I just felt left out in the cold.

    Unplanned (2019)

  • Why do you think we are in this state, jobless and living out in the cold?

    Blog text (17)

  • If they are not part of a larger system, they feel left out in the cold.

    Academic text (1996)

  • The Trump administration left thousands of Americans out in the cold with no concern for their health.

    The Late Late Show with James Corden

  • But this state of affairs leaves someone else out in the cold.

    Academic text (1996)

  • People who destroy their social bonds then find themselves left out in the cold.

    Blog text (24)

  • I don't wanna be left out in the cold.

    Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)

  • I don't want to be left out in the cold.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Mrs. Bodine is not only widowed, but she's been left out in the cold financially as well.

    The Two Jakes (1990)

  • After not receiving any invitations to the event, she felt completely out in the cold by her friends.

Synonyms

left out
vsout in the cold
119 3.6

Feeling sad because others do not include you

is broader, meaning ignored or neglected by a group or organization
out of the picture
vsout in the cold
30 5.1

Not involved in or told about a situation

is more about being excluded or ignored within a group context rather than mere irrelevance
out of it
vsout in the cold
  • Informal
19 7.2

Feeling left out of a group or activity

emphasizes being actively ignored or left aside by a group rather than mere detachment
on the outs
vsout in the cold
  • Informal
8 8.4

Not friendly and not speaking with someone

is broader, covering passive exclusion or neglect, not only conflict-based estrangement
on the outside, looking in
vsout in the cold
  • Informal
1 8.1

Feeling left out and watching others take part

covers actual exclusion or neglect by the group rather than only a feeling
ignored
vsout in the cold
1.6

People do not pay attention to a person or thing

includes deliberate ignoring but also wider social exclusion and neglect
neglected
vsout in the cold
4.1

Not given proper attention and often ignored by others

adds social exclusion and being pushed out by a group rather than only poor care
unregarded
vsout in the cold
6.7

Not noticed or given any attention

extends this to deliberate group neglect and active exclusion
alienated
vsout in the cold
6.8

Feeling alone and not part of a group or society

focuses more on external exclusion and neglect than on inner emotional estrangement

Antonyms

welcome
∞ 1.0

Pleasing and gladly accepted

included
1.0

Comes with something else in the same package

How Excluded

out in the cold
  • Informal
16 7.4
left out
119 3.6
ignored
1.6

Surface Forms

out in the cold positive

Morphology

out + in + the + cold

The sense of being excluded is partially recoverable from the constituents: 'out' suggests exclusion and 'cold' can metaphorically mean unfriendly or aloof, so a learner might infer a non-physical sense. However, the exact idiomatic meaning 'ignored or neglected by a group' and the fixed phraseology ('out in the cold') are not fully predictable from the parts without prior exposure, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Out in the cold comes from the image of someone left out of a warm room and standing in the cold, away from shelter. So, if you are 'out in the cold' you are 'excluded' or 'ignored' by others.