cool

1 of 4

adjective

ˈkül 

1

: moderately cold : lacking in warmth

The plant grows best in cool climates.

2

a

: marked by steady dispassionate calmness and self-control

a cool and calculating businessperson

b

: lacking ardor or friendliness

a cool impersonal manner

c

of jazz : marked by restrained emotion and the frequent use of counterpoint

d

: free from tensions or violence

We used to fight, but we're cool now.

3

—used as an intensive

a cool million dollars

4

: marked by deliberate effrontery or lack of due respect or discretion

a cool reply

5

: facilitating or suggesting relief from heat

a cool dress

6

a

of a color : producing an impression of being cool

specifically : of a hue in the range violet through blue to green

b

of a musical tone : relatively lacking in timbre or resonance (see resonance sense 2a)

7

informal

a

: very good : excellent

That was a really cool movie.

also : all right

Is getting together Friday night cool with you?

b

: fashionable, hip

… not happy with the new shoes … because they were not "cool."

—Celestine Sibley

coolish

ˈkü-lish 

adjective

coolly adverb

or less commonly cooly

ˈkü(l)-lē 

coolness

ˈkül-nəs 

noun

cool

2 of 4

verb

cooled; cooling; cools

intransitive verb

1

: to become cool : lose heat or warmth

placed the pie in the window to cool

—sometimes used with off or down

2

: to lose ardor or passion

His anger cooled.

transitive verb

1

: to make cool : impart a feeling of coolness to

cooled the room with a fan

—often used with off or down

A swim cooled us off a little.

2

a

: to moderate the heat, excitement, or force of : calm

cooled her growing anger

b

: to slow or lessen the growth or activity of

—usually used with off or down

wants to cool off the economy without freezing it

—Newsweek

cool

3 of 4

noun

1

: a cool time, place, or situation

the cool of the evening

2

a

: absence of excitement or emotional involvement : detachment

… must surrender his fine cool and enter the closed crazy world of suicide …

—Wilfrid Sheed

b

: poise, composure

The player lost his cool and began yelling at the referee.

3

: hipness

cool

4 of 4

adverb

: in a casual and nonchalant manner

play it cool

Phrases

cool it

: to calm down : go easy

The word went out to the young to cool it.

—W. M. Young

cool one's heels

: to wait or be kept waiting for a long time especially from or as if from disdain or discourtesy

Word Icons

Synonyms

Adjective

• aloof
• antisocial
• asocial
• buttoned-up
• cold
• cold-eyed
• detached
• distant
• dry
• frosty
• offish
• remote
• standoff
• standoffish
• unbending
• unclubbable
• unsociable

Verb

• chill
• refrigerate

Noun

• coldness
• detachment
• dispassion
• dispassionateness

Choose the Right Synonym for cool

cool, composed, collected, unruffled, imperturbable, nonchalant mean free from agitation or excitement.

cool may imply calmness, deliberateness, or dispassionateness.

kept a cool head

composed implies freedom from agitation as a result of self-discipline or a sedate disposition.

the composed pianist gave a flawless concert

collected implies a concentration of mind that eliminates distractions especially in moments of crisis.

the nurse stayed calm and collected

unruffled suggests apparent serenity and poise in the face of setbacks or in the midst of excitement.

harried but unruffled

imperturbable implies coolness or assurance even under severe provocation.

the speaker remained imperturbable despite the heckling

nonchalant stresses an easy coolness of manner or casualness that suggests indifference or unconcern.

a nonchalant driver

Examples of cool in a Sentence

Adjective

The weather is cool today.

The surface is cool to the touch.

The plant grows best in cool climates.

I'm feeling a little cool.

We changed into some cooler clothes.

She remained calm, cool, and collected.

Verb

The fan cools the engine.

the cooling effect of the breeze

Allow the cake to cool before slicing.

the cooling of the ocean waters

I took a break from the discussion to allow my anger to cool.

His interest in her has cooled somewhat.

Noun

had a cool new hairstyle

I envy you your cool.

Adverb

Here comes Mom. Act cool and she won't suspect a thing.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The front is adorned with the Canada Goose logo along with a sleek mock-neck cut, and the otherwise simple design can be paired with anything from jeans to nicer trousers while still giving off an effortlessly cool look. —Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 20 Dec. 2024

The 3-minute video includes backstage and under-the-stage shots of how the singer pulls off some of her coolest stunts. —Bryan West, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024

Verb

The Fed’s tool for fighting inflation has been to steadily raise borrowing costs across the economy, which tends to cool spending and growth. —Christopher Rugaber, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2024

New Inflation Data Eases Worries Inflation showed signs of cooling in November, according to a report released on Friday by the Commerce Department. —Gord Magill, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024

Noun

Featuring padded cups, spaghetti straps, and an elasticated base with a mesh overlay, this piece is chic on its own or layered underneath an oversized black blazer for a touch of nonchalant cool. —Angela Lei, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024

Players from both teams lost their cool, and the result was the kind of ugly scene that’s become all too common after Michigan’s rivalry games Michigan’s success the past three years, and the way the Wolverines carry themselves, left other teams stewing. —Austin Meek, The Athletic, 1 Dec. 2024

Adverb

As competition commenced, a day that dawned cool and rainy became quite the opposite. —Hg Biggs, Kansas City Star, 16 June 2024

The morning will start off cool in the mid to high 60s in metro Atlanta. —Caroline Silva, ajc, 9 Sep. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English col, going back to Old English cōl, going back to West Germanic *kōlu- (whence also Middle Dutch coele "moderately cold" and, from a variant *kōlja-, Old High German kuoli), lengthened-grade derivative from the base of *kalan- "to be cold" — more at cold entry 1

Verb

Middle English colen, going back to Old English cōlian, verbal derivative from Germanic *kōl- cool entry 1 (whence also Old Saxon colon "to become cool," Old High German kuolēn)

Noun

Middle English cole, derivative of col cool entry 1

Adverb

derivative of cool entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1968, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing cool

• blow one's cool
• calm, cool, and collected
• cool beans
• cool/calm head
• cool customer
• cool it
• cool one's heels
• keep a cool head
• keep one's cool/composure
• keep/stay cool
• lose one's cool/composure
• maintain one's cool/composure
• play it cool
• pre-cool
• the cool

Kids Definition

cool

1 of 3 adjective

ˈkül 

1

: somewhat cold : lacking in warmth

2

: not letting in or keeping in heat

cool clothes

3

: marked by steady calmness and self-control

4

: not friendly or interested

was cool toward strangers

5

: producing an impression of being cool

blue is a cool color

6

informal

a

: very good : excellent

b

: fashionable sense 1

coolish

ˈkü-lish 

adjective

coolly

ˈkül-(l)ē

adverb

coolness

ˈkül-nəs 

noun

cool

2 of 3 verb

1

: to make or become cool

2

: to make or become less excited : calm

allow tempers to cool

cool

3 of 3 noun

: a cool time or place

the cool of the night

Legal Definition

cool

intransitive verb

: to lose passion : become calm

—sometimes used with off or down

the time elapsing…is such that a reasonable man thus provoked would have cooled

—W. R. LaFave and A. W. Scott, Jr.