cool

1 of 4

adjective

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 adjective
coolly adverb
or less commonly cooly
coolness 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 itNewsweek

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

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
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
Anyone familiar with Burgundy knows that soils and climactic conditions that favor Pinot Noir can be ideal for Chardonnay as well, and Zena Crown is no exception, offering a cool climate that oscillates between maritime and Mediterranean. Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 21 Oct. 2024 Through this storytelling, the entire line is inspirational, aspirational, joyful and just really cool. Dahvi Shira, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024
Verb
For example, exterior dark colors add to the cost of cooling in the summer and will not hold up as well to the sun’s UV rays, requiring more frequent repainting. Jennifer Castenson, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024 Attach a dust brush to an extension wand to suck up collected dust on the underside of fan blades and lighting fixtures, including the bulbs (make sure they’re cooled completely before doing so). Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Oct. 2024
Noun
Other topics included Reeves’ haircut, which went from initially being too long to too short and then growing back in, the professional cool of co-star Jeff Daniels, the number of buses used in the production (11) and the many cameras destroyed during shooting. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2024 Trending Here was a child who used the sun of muggy summers to illuminate a dim Game Boy screen, beholden only to the rule of cool. Geoffrey Bunting, Rolling Stone, 5 Oct. 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 See all Example Sentences for cool 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cool.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of cool was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near cool

Cite this Entry

“Cool.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cool. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

cool

1 of 3 adjective
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
coolish adjective
coolly
ˈkül-(l)ē
adverb
coolness 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 cooledW. R. LaFave and A. W. Scott, Jr.

More from Merriam-Webster on cool

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