as in cold turkey
a cold aloof person
her husband is such a cold fish that I'm reluctant to have them over for dinner
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Recent Examples of cold fish
That impulse extends to dealing with occasional rude customers at her day gig, where the coworkers are nice but the boss, family-business heir Maxwell Sterling (Peter Serafinowicz), is one nasty cold fish.
—
Dennis Harvey, Variety, 27 Nov. 2025
Lancelot, still the Round Table’s greatest hero, is a bit of a cold fish with an unexpected role to play as the saga winds to its close.
—Elizabeth Hand, Washington Post, 16 July 2024
This emulsified mixture of garlic, olive oil and egg is a classic accompaniment to fish (especially cold fish).
—Domenica Marchetti, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
Anxious people are hurt and damaged while avoidants are cold fishes.
—Vicky Spratt, refinery29.com, 17 Oct. 2023
As Alfred Uhry’s book — also a Tony winner — relates, Leo, the manager of a pencil factory owned by Lucille’s uncle, is a misfit in Atlanta: a New York Jew but also a cold fish.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2023
There would be plates of bright red tuna crudo, the cold fish drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt flakes.
—Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Aug. 2022
Uncle Richard came round to the flat especially to reason with her, and reported back to Hilary that his niece was a funny sort of girl, bit of a cold fish, very set on her own ideas.
—Tessa Hadley, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2022
Dennis Harvey, Variety, 27 Nov. 2025
Lancelot, still the Round Table’s greatest hero, is a bit of a cold fish with an unexpected role to play as the saga winds to its close.
—Elizabeth Hand, Washington Post, 16 July 2024
This emulsified mixture of garlic, olive oil and egg is a classic accompaniment to fish (especially cold fish).
—Domenica Marchetti, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
Anxious people are hurt and damaged while avoidants are cold fishes.
—Vicky Spratt, refinery29.com, 17 Oct. 2023
As Alfred Uhry’s book — also a Tony winner — relates, Leo, the manager of a pencil factory owned by Lucille’s uncle, is a misfit in Atlanta: a New York Jew but also a cold fish.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2023
There would be plates of bright red tuna crudo, the cold fish drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt flakes.
—Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Aug. 2022
Uncle Richard came round to the flat especially to reason with her, and reported back to Hilary that his niece was a funny sort of girl, bit of a cold fish, very set on her own ideas.
—Tessa Hadley, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cold fish
Noun
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His family has described him as deciding to go cold turkey.—
Sean Emery,
Oc Register,
11 Dec. 2025
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Going cold turkey is, often, an onerous way of quitting something completely and suddenly.—
Natalie Escobar,
NPR,
26 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The second course comes with a clam chowder or elote street corn soup.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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Du identified bristleworms, gastropods, clams, tubeworms and other organisms living in the extreme depths, supported not by sunlight but chemosynthetic microbes drawing energy from methane and sulfide seeping through the ocean floor.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
31 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Trump put on one of the rings, flashed it to the cameras and waved his new hockey stick during the ceremony.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
16 Jan. 2026
-
On Tippett’s second-period goal, Grebenkin made a heads-up play to stick-check Samuelsson, opening up the shooting lane.—
Kevin Kurz,
New York Times,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Charles has visited every continent on Earth, drinking rancid yak butter tea in Lhasa, snorkeling with sea lions in the Galapagos and even climbing an iceberg in Antarctica.—
Charles Q. Choi,
Space.com,
14 Jan. 2026
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Climate change will probably lead other icebergs to a similar fate.—
Devika Rao,
TheWeek,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cold fish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cold%20fish. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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