1
: completely cold
stone-cold soup
The weather was stone-cold and often gray, with a 20-mile-an-hour headwind scouring the backstretch.—
Lorna Lentini
—often used figurativelyLorna Lentinia stone-cold killer
… his stone-cold calculation was that he could score more money more quickly with a bat and glove.—Scott Burton
Scott Burton
US, informal
: absolutely, utterly
stone-cold sober
Walter Anderson was a stone-cold handsome guy, a tall, powerfully built man with a thick head of wavy blond hair …—Edgar Allen Beam
Edgar Allen BeamExamples of stone-cold in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
Secretary Kristi Noem is a stone-cold liar and has zero credibility.
—Ali Bauman, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
But Lee leans heavily into the goofy side of Man-chu, selling him not as stone-cold killer waiting to be released so much as a vengeful pragmatist worthy of your sympathy — and who’s a little lacking in the killer instinct and competence department.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Dec. 2025
John Malkovich plays the stone-cold President Snow in pre-recorded videos that bookend the arena, looming over the show’s Katniss Everdeen in a crisp, white suit.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 22 Dec. 2025
Here, Victor Frankenstein (Ralph Bates) is a posh womanizer and stone-cold sociopath.
—Katie Rife, Vulture, 9 Nov. 2025
With no further explanation, the image also finds her stone-cold visage bracketed by her name and the single’s title, with the caption teasing a Thursday (Nov. 6) release.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2025
Game 3 of the World Series was a stone-cold thriller, with peaks of high drama and longueurs of exquisitely tense tedium.
—Steve Rushin, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2025
With fangs flashing and a lengthy, serpentine tail trailing behind her, the supermodel was — quite literally — a stone-cold stunner.
—Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2025
Adam Cheung, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Feb. 2026
And now the daughters and granddaughters of the Ladies Aid and League of Catholic Women’s groups are organizing food, shelter, and finances against stone-cold invaders.
—Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
Secretary Kristi Noem is a stone-cold liar and has zero credibility.
—Ali Bauman, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
John Malkovich plays the stone-cold President Snow in pre-recorded videos that bookend the arena, looming over the show’s Katniss Everdeen in a crisp, white suit.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 22 Dec. 2025
Two otherwise healthy, stone-cold-normal children died.
—Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 19 Dec. 2025
Here, Victor Frankenstein (Ralph Bates) is a posh womanizer and stone-cold sociopath.
—Katie Rife, Vulture, 9 Nov. 2025
Game 3 of the World Series was a stone-cold thriller, with peaks of high drama and longueurs of exquisitely tense tedium.
—Steve Rushin, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2025
Now, 30 years after its initial release, the song is a stone-cold ’90s country classic and has been a mainstay in Jackson’s concerts for the past three decades.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 22 Feb. 2023
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Adjective
And now the daughters and granddaughters of the Ladies Aid and League of Catholic Women’s groups are organizing food, shelter, and finances against stone-cold invaders.
—Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
Secretary Kristi Noem is a stone-cold liar and has zero credibility.
—Ali Bauman, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
But Lee leans heavily into the goofy side of Man-chu, selling him not as stone-cold killer waiting to be released so much as a vengeful pragmatist worthy of your sympathy — and who’s a little lacking in the killer instinct and competence department.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Dec. 2025
John Malkovich plays the stone-cold President Snow in pre-recorded videos that bookend the arena, looming over the show’s Katniss Everdeen in a crisp, white suit.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 22 Dec. 2025
Here, Victor Frankenstein (Ralph Bates) is a posh womanizer and stone-cold sociopath.
—Katie Rife, Vulture, 9 Nov. 2025
With no further explanation, the image also finds her stone-cold visage bracketed by her name and the single’s title, with the caption teasing a Thursday (Nov. 6) release.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2025
Game 3 of the World Series was a stone-cold thriller, with peaks of high drama and longueurs of exquisitely tense tedium.
—Steve Rushin, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2025
With fangs flashing and a lengthy, serpentine tail trailing behind her, the supermodel was — quite literally — a stone-cold stunner.
—Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2025
Adverb
Carhartt's Detroit jacket is a stone-cold classic.
—Adam Cheung, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Feb. 2026
And now the daughters and granddaughters of the Ladies Aid and League of Catholic Women’s groups are organizing food, shelter, and finances against stone-cold invaders.
—Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
Secretary Kristi Noem is a stone-cold liar and has zero credibility.
—Ali Bauman, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
John Malkovich plays the stone-cold President Snow in pre-recorded videos that bookend the arena, looming over the show’s Katniss Everdeen in a crisp, white suit.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 22 Dec. 2025
Two otherwise healthy, stone-cold-normal children died.
—Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 19 Dec. 2025
Here, Victor Frankenstein (Ralph Bates) is a posh womanizer and stone-cold sociopath.
—Katie Rife, Vulture, 9 Nov. 2025
Game 3 of the World Series was a stone-cold thriller, with peaks of high drama and longueurs of exquisitely tense tedium.
—Steve Rushin, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2025
Now, 30 years after its initial release, the song is a stone-cold ’90s country classic and has been a mainstay in Jackson’s concerts for the past three decades.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 22 Feb. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Stone-cold.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stone-cold. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
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