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Glite Dictionary
icily cold

icily cold

4.7
Very low in temperature and clearly unfriendly
  • adjective
  • /ˈaɪsli koʊld/
translation icon : fríamente helado
  • The next morning, Patty Kay was icily cold to Selwyn.

Examples

  • After the argument, his icily cold gaze left her feeling rejected and hurt.

  • The room felt icily cold, making everyone shiver as soon as they entered.

  • The wind blew icily cold across the open field, driving chills through their clothes.

Synonyms

cold
vsicily cold
∞ 1.0

Having a low temperature that feels chilly

is more intense and harsh, adding a sense of unfriendliness
ice-cold
vsicily cold
34 1.0

Very cold, like frozen water

adds harsh social unfriendliness and greater intensity beyond temperature
icy
vsicily cold
22 3.3

Cold and unfriendly in tone or manner

emphasizes harsher physical coldness combined with a severe tone
freezing cold
vsicily cold
15 1.3

Very cold, at or below freezing

adds a sharper sense of harshness and social unfriendliness
frosty
vsicily cold
9 3.6

Unfriendly and showing little warmth towards other people

is harsher physical cold plus a stronger sense of severity
frigid
vsicily cold
8 5.2

Not friendly or warm in how someone acts

is more about intense low temperature with added harsh unfriendliness
bone-chilling
vsicily cold
5 7.0

Very cold or scary

focuses more on physical severity plus unfriendly harshness
cold as ice
vsicily cold
  • Informal
4 7.2

Not showing any feeling or kindness to others

adds a harsher, more intense physical chill and severity
stone-cold
vsicily cold
1 4.1

Very cold with no warmth left

adds a sense of harsh unfriendliness beyond mere absence of warmth
cold as a witch's tit
vsicily cold
  • Offensive
1 9.9

Very cold in a way that feels unpleasant

is more about harsh severity and social unfriendliness than slang emphasis
cold as balls
vsicily cold
  • Offensive
1 9.9

People say this to mean very cold in a joking, exaggerated way

focuses more on severe chilling plus an unfriendly tone
frozen
vsicily cold
5.1

Not warm or friendly in manner

adds intense physical harshness and severity beyond mere manner
cold as a witch's kiss
vsicily cold
  • Literature
9.9

Showing no warmth or feeling

leans more toward severe physical low temperature with cruelty
freezing
vsicily cold
1.0

So cold that water turns to ice

carries extra harshness and unfriendliness beyond mere temperature
perishingly cold
vsicily cold
  • Informal
7.2

Very cold in a way that makes being outside difficult

also implies a harsher, more severe and unfriendly quality

Antonyms

warm
∞ 1.0

Having a comfortable level of heat, often after recent use

friendly
773 1.0

Kind and helpful toward other people

How Cold

freezing
1.0
icily cold
4.7
icy
22 3.3
cold
∞ 1.0
chilly
100 1.0
cool
608 1.0

Surface Forms

icily cold positive

Morphology

icily + cold

The meaning is directly composed from the parts: 'icily' (in an unemotional/very cold manner) modifies 'cold' (low temperature), yielding an intensified or harsh type of cold. This adverb + adjective pattern is transparent and predictable for learners who know both constituents, so a B1 learner would be able to infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Icily cold comes from the image of icily meaning 'like ice' and cold meaning 'very cold'. When wind, water, or a look feels sharp as ice it is both freezing and hard, so icily cold now means 'extremely cold' or 'severe and unfriendly'.