as in to isolate
to deliberately ignore or treat rudely
cold-shouldered by his old friends after his family had lost all of its money
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in dismissal
treatment that is deliberately unfriendly
at the party the two former friends consciously gave each other the cold shoulder
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cold-shoulder
Chantz Martin, Fox News, 1 Feb. 2025
The actress wore the brand’s cold shoulder midi dress, which featured a plunging neckline with gold-tone bead detailing.
—Julia Teti, WWD, 31 Jan. 2025
Worst of all, local and state government agencies have shown an increasing tendency to fend off public-records requests with barriers like unjustified fees or a simple cold shoulder, letting records requests lie dormant for weeks or months with no response.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, Orlando Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2025
In a 2008 Ebony profile, Banks posed with Iman, Alek Wek and Kimora Lee Simmons—women who were all toggling between fabulous modeling careers, as the faces of high fashion, and new options, in case the world of struts ever turned a cold shoulder.
—Essence, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cold-shoulder
Noun
The omission sparked some spirited posts on social media about Young and other players who received a cold shoulder from voters.
—Chantz Martin, Fox News, 1 Feb. 2025
The actress wore the brand’s cold shoulder midi dress, which featured a plunging neckline with gold-tone bead detailing.
—Julia Teti, WWD, 31 Jan. 2025
Worst of all, local and state government agencies have shown an increasing tendency to fend off public-records requests with barriers like unjustified fees or a simple cold shoulder, letting records requests lie dormant for weeks or months with no response.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, Orlando Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2025
In a 2008 Ebony profile, Banks posed with Iman, Alek Wek and Kimora Lee Simmons—women who were all toggling between fabulous modeling careers, as the faces of high fashion, and new options, in case the world of struts ever turned a cold shoulder.
—Essence, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cold-shoulder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cold-shoulder
Verb
-
Halfway through the first game the pair switched sides, in reaction to the clear recognition that Agassi was getting isolated.—
Todd Boss,
Forbes.com,
4 May 2025
-
Our tester said the formula defined and isolated her curls, cut back on frizz, and smoothly detangled her strands before heat styling.—
Malia Griggs,
Glamour,
2 May 2025
Noun
-
The dismissal of acting director Cameron Hamilton on May 8 adds to ongoing layoffs, budget cuts, grant cancellations and leadership changes at FEMA, and officials now say the agency could run out of money as soon as July.—
Hayley Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2025
-
Last month, Unilever called for the dismissal of the lawsuit.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 May 2025
Verb
-
While the actress even nabbed nominations at the SAG Awards and the Golden Globes, she was ultimately snubbed at the Oscars.—
Catherine Santino,
People.com,
6 May 2025
-
They were snubbed on Selection Sunday though, with Arkansas State getting the lone bid out of the Sun Belt.—
Kels Dayton,
Hartford Courant,
19 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
This distress often results in either combative behavior (arguing, criticizing) or withdrawal (silent treatment, shutting down).—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
-
No guilt-tripping, no last-minute attempts to change your mind, no silent treatment later on.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
To compound the embarrassment, Arsenal fan group Ashburton Army had raised more than £12,000 to fund their own tifo, which the club rejected (fans who had donated were refunded their money).—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
-
On May 16, Brown appeared in Manchester Magistrates’ Court, where Judge Joanne Hirst rejected his bail request.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
18 May 2025
Verb
-
The past two comparable moves in this small-investor proxy, in November 2022 and March 2022, led to stiff near-term declines in the basket within weeks.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
26 Apr. 2025
-
Failing to comply can lead to stiff fines (up to 4% of a company’s turnover) and disrupt market access.—
Florent Bouguin,
Forbes.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Board member Allen Zeman noted that the district has regularly cut teaching positions when enrollment has fallen but hasn’t done the same for central office jobs.—
Scott Travis,
Sun Sentinel,
10 May 2025
-
Any of these topics would make for excellent discussion after the Cavs’ 126-104 Game 3 win over the Pacers, which cut their deficit in this Eastern Conference semifinal series to 2-1 with Game 4 Sunday.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
10 May 2025
Verb
-
Was slighting the defense to improve the offense worth risking a miss on several top defensive prospects?—
Mike Kaye,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Apr. 2025
-
Some in Buenos Aires felt slighted by Francis’ avoidance of Argentina.—
Almudena Calatrava and Isabel Debre,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cold-shoulder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cold-shoulder. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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