cold shoulders 1 of 2

noun

plural of cold shoulder
as in dismissals
treatment that is deliberately unfriendly at the party the two former friends consciously gave each other the cold shoulder

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cold-shoulders

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of cold-shoulder
as in isolates
to deliberately ignore or treat rudely cold-shouldered by his old friends after his family had lost all of its money

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of cold shoulders
Noun
There are screaming matches and cold shoulders. — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026 These rules were administered via cold shoulders and whispers. — Alessandra Schade, Time, 5 Aug. 2025 My first issue, in January, launched Nan Goldin’s campaign against the Sackler family for their role in the opioid epidemic, and this action has inspired cold shoulders from the philanthropic class. — David Velasco, Harpers Magazine, 18 Dec. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cold shoulders
  1. dismissals
  2. isolates
  3. snubs
  4. rejects
  5. cuts
  6. repulses
Noun
  • The dismissals at the USPSTF follow a Supreme Court decision in 2025 stating that the secretary of HHS can remove members at will.
    — C. Joseph Ross Daval, STAT, 30 Oct. 2026
  • All five students sought to appeal their dismissals but say that the university blocked access to their education records, which the students allege is a violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
    — Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of dismissals
Verb
  • Because his decision to conceal the incident with the bat isolates him from his wife.
    — Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2026
  • If the power of the film is as the sum of its parts, Vaughan’s photography isolates these parts to reveal a city vernacular.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of isolates
Noun
  • As his son Charles recounts in Swan Song, when Diana considered calling off her wedding to Prince Charles after suffering various snubs from the heir to the throne, Count Spencer flatly rejected his youngest daughter’s idea.
    — Diego Parrado, Vanity Fair, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Its complete omission from the 2026 Latin Grammy nominations was one of the most notable snubs on Wednesday morning.
    — Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of snubs
Verb
  • Remaining steadfast in his dharma (religious and moral principles), Rama rejects all of Lakshmana’s suggestions for resistance and insists that obedience to his father and preservation of righteousness must take precedence over royal position.
    — Tamanna Nangia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
  • However, a large percentage of the Brazilian electorate also consistently rejects the prospect of voting for another Bolsonaro for president.
    — David Unsworth, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of rejects
Verb
  • Researchers at Cornell University have developed a method that cuts a critical stage of lithium-ion battery manufacturing by up to 60%, potentially saving large factories as much as $100 million in production costs.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026
  • At the end, the video cuts to the Wicked actress watching the ad in a theater, cheering as the credits roll before winking at the camera.
    — Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of cuts
Verb
  • Her widowed aunt plays chaperone as Susanna attends heady lectures and repulses her many suitors.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Sigmund Freud believed that every crush has a strand of disgust, that people are attracted to what repulses them.
    — Daniel Felsenthal, Vulture, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of repulses

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cold-shouldering
cold shoulders
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Cite this Entry

“Cold shoulders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cold%20shoulders. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

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