frigid

adjective frig·id \ ˈfri-jəd \

Definition of frigid

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

See frigid defined for English-language learners

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Examples of frigid in a Sentence

The frigid gusts of wind stung their faces.
She was born into an emotionally frigid family.

Recent Examples of frigid from the Web

George RR Martin seems to have baked in an olive branch for outsiders wading into Westeros waters late: a certain soulless, frigid, nightmarish species.

— nathan mattise, Ars Technica, "An appreciation of Game of Thrones‘ White Walkers from a zombie diehard," 29 Aug. 2017
Running back Ty Montgomery had arguably the best game of his career in frigid conditions: 16 carries, 162 yards, two touchdowns.

— michael cohen, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Packers schedule features formidable opponents in first two weeks," 25 Aug. 2017
While relations with the U.S. have grown frigid in recent years, Venezuela has kept increasingly warm commercial and financial ties with Russia.

— andrew rosati, Bloomberg.com, "Venezuela Scorns Threat of Sanctions: ‘We Kneel for No One’," 22 Aug. 2017
Nothing better on a frigid day in Feb. than sitting down in front of the laptop and pondering beach places for July.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: Votto can do whatever he wants," 8 Aug. 2017
Soaked and frigid, Tray and his friends barely made it to higher ground, and set up to wait for rescue.

— patrick blanchfield, Esquire, "Shot in the Dark," 1 Aug. 2017
Originally filed in 2015, the Zeisse complaint accused county officials of allowing dogs to live in kennels with frigid flooring.

— jeff mcdonald, sandiegouniontribune.com, "County settles 'ice puppies' lawsuit against animal shelter," 10 July 2017
In contrast, Pluto's low gravity and frigid nitrogen ices make transport a snap.

— john timmer, Ars Technica, "A travel guide for our future Solar System," 9 July 2017
The frigid, faraway body that NASA's New Horizons spacecraft will zoom by 18 months from now may actually be a cluster of small objects, new observations suggest.

— mike wall space.com senior writer, Fox News, "NASA Pluto probe's next target may actually be 'swarm' of objects," 7 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'frigid.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of frigid

Latin frigidus, from frigēre to be cold; akin to Latin frigus frost, cold, Greek rhigos

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First Known Use: 1619

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frigid Synonyms

Other Psychology Terms

fetish, hypochondria, intelligence, mania, narcissism, neurosis, pathological, psychosis, schadenfreude, subliminal

FRIGID Defined for English Language Learners

frigid

adjective

Definition of frigid for English Language Learners

: very cold
: not friendly or loving : lacking emotional warmth
of a woman : not wanting to have sex : not enjoying sex

FRIGID Defined for Kids

frigid

adjective frig·id \ ˈfri-jəd \

Definition of frigid for Students

1 :freezing cold

… he breathed again, feeling the sharp intake of frigid air.
—Lois Lowry, The Giver

2 :not friendly

a frigid stare

Medical Dictionary

frigid

adjective frig·id \ ˈfrij-əd \

medical Definition of frigid

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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