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
-
The result is a drama of surprising universality, in which a well-to-do couple becomes the target of unjust dismissals and persecution for political wrongthink against the Turkish regime.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
-
The two dismissals this week come as both of those lawsuits had been set to go to trial in the next few weeks.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 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
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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
-
But Balzano rejects the idea that fast development automatically conflicts with automotive reliability.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Gentry rejects the notion that there are more Hancevilles out there, their scandals hidden for now.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
7 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
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There were few major snubs but a handful of minor surprises.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The commercial humorously cuts to everyday viewers — who might as well be analogs for us on the couch — enraptured by Spears' girl-next-door effervescence.—
Debby Wolfinsohn,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Feb. 2026
-
GoldZone, at this moment, cuts to commercial seconds before the final throw.—
John Cherwa,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cold shoulders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cold%20shoulders. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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