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
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
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Recent Examples of cold shoulders
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
Noun
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
Noun
-
Court records show the office has been operating in crisis mode, bringing in prosecutors from other states, asking judges to delay hearings, and trying to make some cases go away through dismissals and plea agreements.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Stalcup said of the dismissals.—
Paul Flahive,
Austin American Statesman,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Hard Truths premiered at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival and followed Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Pansy, an angry and depressed woman who lashes out at family and strangers, and whose constant criticism slowly isolates her.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Power Without Corruption Mission has used a high-quality and ultra-low-noise toroidal transformer for 778CDT’s internal power architecture, which isolates critical pathways.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
My child automatically rejects paying for parking, especially when there are other options.—
Harvey Levine,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Hunter-Torricke rejects these criticisms.—
Billy Perrigo,
Time,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Yes, there were weird snubs, but the sheer depth of American talent even allowing that to happen is the real story.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
There were few major snubs but a handful of minor surprises.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Aside from the 43rd president’s penchant for surfacing mostly for official events — joking in an affectionate and hilarious manner with Michelle Obama — Bush’s taciturn post-presidency cuts a striking contrast with the two men who bracketed his tenure.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
22 Feb. 2026
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The full effects of DOGE cuts to tens of thousands of federal contracts and agreements may never be fully known, experts say, and controversy lingers.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Charlie, though, is trying to keep them out of a country that thoroughly repulses him.—
Alexander Nazaryan,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cold shoulders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cold%20shoulders. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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