cold comfort

noun

: quite limited sympathy, consolation, or encouragement
Such remonstrances against panic are cold comfort to the working-class people affected …Gilbert Taylor

Examples of cold comfort in a Sentence

The good news about the economy is cold comfort to people who have lost their jobs.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Sudan drops from first place in 2024 to second, but any improvement in relative standing offers cold comfort to the Sudanese people. Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2026 The ones that provide cold comfort. Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026 For Boyd, the Virginia farmer, this is cold comfort. Hannah Parker, NBC news, 17 Mar. 2026 The fact that Ellison may be more of a pragmatist than a Rupert Murdoch–style ideologue could serve some cold comfort to those at CNN who fear not only cuts but an editorial shift of the kind that has occurred at CBS News. Reeves Wiedeman, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cold comfort

Word History

First Known Use

1571, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cold comfort was in 1571

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Cite this Entry

“Cold comfort.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cold%20comfort. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.

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