cold-shoulder 1 of 2

as in to isolate
to deliberately ignore or treat rudely cold-shouldered by his old friends after his family had lost all of its money

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cold shoulder

2 of 2

noun

as in dismissal
treatment that is deliberately unfriendly at the party the two former friends consciously gave each other the cold shoulder

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cold-shoulder
Noun
But the Rockies gave them a cold shoulder, losing 6-3 to the Athletics in 11 innings in a game that took 3 hours and 21 minutes. Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2025 Worst of all, local and state government agencies have shown an increasing tendency to fend off public-records requests with barriers like unjustified fees or a simple cold shoulder, letting records requests lie dormant for weeks or months with no response. Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, Orlando Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2025 The omission sparked some spirited posts on social media about Young and other players who received a cold shoulder from voters. Chantz Martin, Fox News, 1 Feb. 2025 The actress wore the brand’s cold shoulder midi dress, which featured a plunging neckline with gold-tone bead detailing. Julia Teti, WWD, 31 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cold-shoulder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cold-shoulder
Verb
  • Critical flight systems must be isolated from public-facing applications.
    Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 6 July 2025
  • Interestingly, research has found that asthmatics tend to have lower levels of IgG. While camel milk is rich in these bioactive compounds, the study didn’t isolate or quantify which specific components were responsible for the observed effects.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 July 2025
Noun
  • The Justice Department’s dismissal of the charges comes as Moore started a 15-day trial earlier this week in Salt Lake City, Utah.
    David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 12 July 2025
  • President Donald Trump’s potential dismissal of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is a major and underpriced risk that could trigger a selloff in the US dollar and Treasuries, a Deutsche Bank AG strategist said.
    Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 12 July 2025
Verb
  • Putin has stubbornly snubbed Trump’s demand for a ceasefire, a plea Zelenskyy quickly agreed to.
    Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 8 July 2025
  • The argument, of course, could be made that Robert Suarez was snubbed, given that his 25 saves are five more than any other NL reliever.
    Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 July 2025
Noun
  • Brit greets everyone, including Kelli, who opts for the ever-mature silent treatment.
    Shelby Stewart, Essence, 22 June 2025
  • Modern nineteenth-century prisons in various parts of the world, including in the British empire, began to model their own prisons off of the Eastern State Penitentiary, instituting separate and silent treatments that suppressed language.
    Amir Hussain June 6, Literary Hub, 6 June 2025
Verb
  • New York Senator Julia Salazar, who was among the electeds observing hearings Thursday called for New Yorkers to reject what is happening inside lower Manhattan immigration courts.
    Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 5 July 2025
  • Last summer, West Ham had a verbal offer of £15m rejected by Al Ittihad for midfielder N’Golo Kante, then 33.
    Mark Carey, New York Times, 4 July 2025
Verb
  • And for the legions of blue-collar stiffs just like him.
    Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2025
  • The boar bristles are bendy to move with hair but still stiff enough to detangle knots.
    Olivia Cigliano, Footwear News, 12 June 2025
Verb
  • To pay for these initiatives, the law cuts Medicaid and food stamps — programs relied upon by poor households with children — by more than $1 trillion.
    MORIAH BALINGIT, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2025
  • Both headphones are astonishingly quiet, virtually eliminating lower drone sounds, cutting higher frequency noises like key clicks, and even erasing piercing sounds like dogs barking with a bit of music.
    Ryan Waniata, Wired News, 9 July 2025
Verb
  • Related article Gay rights icon Harvey Milk’s legacy slighted by decision to rename Navy ship Wald says that waiting to transition can create additional psychological distress for a child and can raise their risk of depression, suicidality, self-harm or substance misuse.
    Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 18 June 2025
  • Despite Meg’s efforts to connect, Ellen (Kyra Sedgwick) repeatedly slights her future daughter-in-law.
    Natalia Winkelman, New York Times, 22 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Cold-shoulder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cold-shoulder. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

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