cold comfort
5
7.2
- noun
- /koʊld ˈkʌmfərt/
:
consuelo frío
- Increase Mather offered rather cold comfort to the elderly on this issue.
- offers cold comfort
- take cold comfort
Examples
-
An appeals process is cold comfort.
Blog text (22) -
The apology from the company was cold comfort to the customers who were affected by the product failure.
-
It's an honor having stars named after you, but cold comfort when you come right down to it.
Fiction book (1995) -
Just because they have no hope of success is cold comfort to their victims.
Blog text (26) -
Eventually, you will realize it is cold comfort.
Blog text (31) -
But if I'm one of the unemployed, that is cold comfort.
Blog text (4) -
Well, that's some cold comfort.
-
This remains cold comfort to many Unalaska residents.
Academic text (2007) -
They have to settle for the cold comfort of being right.
Blog text (1) -
That may be cold comfort, judging from other terrorist conspiracy trials.
Academic text (2002)
Synonyms
102
3.8
Something that makes you feel better after loss or disappointment
55
5.1
Comfort that helps you when you feel sad or upset
Comfort that helps you feel less sad during hard times
Antonyms
How Consoling
Surface Forms
Morphology
The adjective 'cold' modifies 'comfort' to signal that the consolation is weak or unsatisfying; a learner who knows 'cold' (emotionally distant/low) and 'comfort' can plausibly infer 'little or inadequate consolation'. However this relies on a conventional temperature→emotional-warmth metaphor and somewhat figurative usage, so the meaning is not fully literal or automatically predictable.
Etymology
Cold comfort comes from the image of comfort that is cold instead of warm, like a meal or hug that should help but does not. That's why it means 'little or not enough comfort' in a hard situation.