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Glite Dictionary
to kill the mood

to kill the mood

5 6.2
To end a pleasant situation suddenly by saying or doing something awkward that makes people feel bad
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : matar el ambiente
  • Don't say that; it might kill the mood during our celebration.
  • gonna kill the mood

Examples

Synonyms

to chill
vsto kill the mood
148 7.2

To make people feel afraid or less enthusiastic

is usually sudden and social, focusing on awkward remarks that stop enjoyment
to ruin the mood
vsto kill the mood
  • Informal
3 4.1

Make people feel less happy in a situation

is a sudden awkward action that ends a pleasant atmosphere
to dampen spirits
vsto kill the mood
2 4.9

Make someone feel less happy and excited

is a sudden negative act that abruptly ends the pleasant atmosphere
to shit in someone's cereal
vsto kill the mood
  • Offensive
9.9

To spoil someone's good mood or stop them enjoying something

is similar but usually less formal and more crude in tone
to squash enthusiasm
vsto kill the mood
6.5

To stop someone from feeling excited

is more about suddenly ending a shared pleasant atmosphere rather than planned suppression
to cast a chill
vsto kill the mood
8.2

Make people feel uneasy, disappointed or uncomfortable

is more immediate and often caused by one awkward comment ending enjoyment

Antonyms

to enhance
424 4.0

Make something better or more attractive

to uplift
23 3.2

To make someone feel happier and more hopeful

How Disruptive

to kill the mood
  • Informal
5 6.2

Surface Forms

kill the mood infinitive
killed the mood past
killed the mood past participle
killing the mood present participle
kills the mood third person singular

Morphology

kill + the + mood

The meaning 'to suddenly end or ruin a pleasant atmosphere' is directly derivable from combining 'kill' (to end/terminate) with 'mood' (the prevailing emotional atmosphere); the article 'the' is semantically light. Although 'kill' is used metaphorically here, the extension is predictable and follows a common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

Kill the mood uses kill like 'stop completely' and mood for the room's good feeling. Imagine someone making a bad comment and the whole room goes quiet as if a light has been switched off. That's why it means 'to suddenly end or ruin a pleasant atmosphere'.