1
a
: intensely cold
frigid water
b
: lacking warmth or ardor : indifferent
had an emotionally frigid father
2
: lacking imaginative qualities : insipid
writing precise and frigid poetry
3
a
: abnormally averse to sexual intercourse
—used especially of women
b
of a female
: unable to achieve orgasm during sexual intercourse
frigidly
adverb
frigidness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of frigid in a Sentence
The frigid gusts of wind stung their faces.
She was born into an emotionally frigid family.
Recent Examples on the Web
The cargo ship – about the length of three football fields – has as many as 4,000 tons of steel frame hanging on its bow since the ship plowed into the Key Bridge – sending a crew of construction workers plunging to the frigid water below.
—
Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN, 29 Mar. 2024
As the Titanic sinks, stranding passengers in the frigid waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Kate Winslet's character Rose manages to lie afloat on the piece of a door while Leonardo DiCaprio's Jack clings to the edge, eventually succumbing to hypothermia.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 28 Mar. 2024
Up until then, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore had held out hope that the missing people might be found even as law enforcement warned that the frigid water and the fact that there had been no sign of them since 1:30 a.m. when the ship struck Francis Scott Key Bridge.
—Corky Siemaszko, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
Eight construction workers who were fixing potholes on the span plunged into the frigid water as the bridge collapsed early Tuesday, officials said.
—Victoria Arancio, ABC News, 27 Mar. 2024
As a spring tide rushed out of Baltimore harbor just after midnight on Tuesday, the hulking outlines of a cargo ship nearly three football fields long and stacked high with thousands of containers sliced through frigid waters toward the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
—Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Eight construction workers plummeted into the frigid waters below.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Here, dramatic photos from the scene as the rescue efforts continue in the frigid water.
—Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 26 Mar. 2024
Icy moons like Europa and Enceladus are exciting venues for the prospect of life beyond Earth
Icy moons like Europa and Enceladus are exciting venues for the prospect of life beyond Earth, because they are thought to contain oceans of water beneath their frigid surfaces.
—Isaac Schultz / Gizmodo, Quartz, 24 Mar. 2024
Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN, 29 Mar. 2024
As the Titanic sinks, stranding passengers in the frigid waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Kate Winslet's character Rose manages to lie afloat on the piece of a door while Leonardo DiCaprio's Jack clings to the edge, eventually succumbing to hypothermia.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 28 Mar. 2024
Up until then, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore had held out hope that the missing people might be found even as law enforcement warned that the frigid water and the fact that there had been no sign of them since 1:30 a.m. when the ship struck Francis Scott Key Bridge.
—Corky Siemaszko, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
Eight construction workers who were fixing potholes on the span plunged into the frigid water as the bridge collapsed early Tuesday, officials said.
—Victoria Arancio, ABC News, 27 Mar. 2024
As a spring tide rushed out of Baltimore harbor just after midnight on Tuesday, the hulking outlines of a cargo ship nearly three football fields long and stacked high with thousands of containers sliced through frigid waters toward the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
—Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Eight construction workers plummeted into the frigid waters below.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Here, dramatic photos from the scene as the rescue efforts continue in the frigid water.
—Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 26 Mar. 2024
Icy moons like Europa and Enceladus are exciting venues for the prospect of life beyond Earth
Icy moons like Europa and Enceladus are exciting venues for the prospect of life beyond Earth, because they are thought to contain oceans of water beneath their frigid surfaces.
—Isaac Schultz / Gizmodo, Quartz, 24 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'frigid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near frigid
Cite this Entry
“Frigid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frigid. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
frigid
adjective
frig·id
ˈfrij-əd 
1
: freezing cold
2
: not friendly
a frigid stare
frigidity
noun
frij-ˈid-ət-ē
frigidly
adverb
ˈfrij-əd-lē
frigidness
noun
Medical Definition
frigid
adjective
frig·id
ˈfrij-əd
1
: lacking sexual desire : abnormally averse to sexual intercourse
—used especially of women
2
of a female
: unable to achieve orgasm during sexual intercourse
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