stone-cold

1 of 2

adjective

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 figuratively
a stone-cold killer
… his stone-cold calculation was that he could score more money more quickly with a bat and glove.Scott Burton
2
US, informal : absolute, utter
In the last decade, DNA tests have provided stone-cold proof that 69 people were sent to prison and death row in North America for crimes they did not commit.Jim Dwyer et al.

stone-cold

2 of 2

adverb

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

Examples of stone-cold in a Sentence

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.
Adjective
Cascarino ran toward the bench with a stone-cold expression. Fernando Ramirez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Aug. 2025 Charles turned to a grinning Marina Mabrey with a stone-cold expression as their chests collided in celebration while more than 8,800 fans roared behind them. Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 1 Aug. 2025 Elsewhere, outlaw country singer Alex Williams released Space Brain, a collection of hair metal songs reinvented as stone-cold country music. Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 30 July 2025 Jon Bernthal has appeared in several Marvel television series as the stone-cold vigilante known as the Punisher, even headlining his own series. Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 20 June 2025 In 1993, Nintendo put out a cartridge containing four stone-cold NES classics, beautified and upscaled for the beefier Super Nintendo. Luke Winkie, Vulture, 18 June 2025 Manager Craig Counsell has pushed all the right buttons, when he’s not getting ejected, and Hoyer’s stone-cold firing of David Ross is now a distant memory. Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2025 Instead, a team that’s earned its reputation as stone-cold killers saw the other side Friday. Zak Keefer, New York Times, 14 June 2025
Adverb
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

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1898, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stone-cold was in 1548

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Cite this Entry

“Stone-cold.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stone-cold. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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