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
Kaya Genç, The Dial, 3 Feb. 2026
Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Stories include a brick thrown through a home's window, slurs hurled at a public pool, middle fingers extended out of car windows, and an overall cold shoulder from neighbors.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cold-shoulder
Verb
Over the next half decade, Biden cold-shouldered the Turkish government.
—Kaya Genç, The Dial, 3 Feb. 2026
Noun
Taiwanese confidence in direct military intervention against a hypothetical invasion by China is faltering as President Donald Trump turns a cold shoulder to Taiwan.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Stories include a brick thrown through a home's window, slurs hurled at a public pool, middle fingers extended out of car windows, and an overall cold shoulder from neighbors.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cold-shoulder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cold-shoulder
Verb
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The team plans to further refine the material and test its ability to isolate additional rare earth elements.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Feb. 2026
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In the lab, the researchers isolated various bacterial strains and sequenced their genomes to evaluate which genes allow the strain to survive in low temperatures and which are linked to antimicrobial resistance.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The Supreme Court is sending the case back to the lower court for dismissal.—
Melissa Repko,Sara Salinas,
CNBC,
20 Feb. 2026
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The Justice Department has appealed the dismissal of those prosecutions.—
JESSICA HILL THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Jamerson’s dreams of a solid return to a school that snubbed him were shattered.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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In January, the governor took the unusual step of snubbing Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, a fellow Republican state officeholder, and throwing his support behind political newcomer Nate Sheets in the primary.—
John C. Moritz,
Austin American Statesman,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In the present, they’re awkwardly reunited for his brother’s destination wedding in Barcelona, following two years of mutual silent treatment.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
8 Jan. 2026
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Destructive silent treatment creates an imbalanced power dynamic in the relationship.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Indiana Court of Appeals rejected a Gary man’s bid last week to cut his sentence for attacking multiple women.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
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Like in the case of Adam Hart, who rejected a digital verdict in order to protect a patient’s lungs, the ultimate value of the nurse in the age of AI may be not their ability to follow the prompt but their willingness to override it.—
Hilke Schellmann,
Scientific American,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The latest rebuff of state overreach was the dismissal last week of the highly questionable felony case against respected Waukegan City Clerk Janet Kilkelly brought by the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
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Braced by that humiliating rebuff, the Service wasted no time in getting serious and rallying around reform.—
Craig Hooper,
Forbes.com,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Still, with Thursday’s 3 p.m. NBA trade deadline rapidly approaching, Sexton and the Hornets insist the easiest way to keep the chatter from becoming a distraction is to stiff arm it as much as possible.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
4 Feb. 2026
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Best Sweatpant Jeans Gap New Ease Jeans Say goodbye to stiff denim waistbands thanks to the Gap New Ease Jeans.—
Kyra Surgent,
InStyle,
17 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This week’s spat in Belgium came soon after the US ambassador to Poland, Tom Rose, announced on February 5 that the US would cut ties with Włodzimierz Czarzasty, the speaker of Poland’s lower parliament, the Sejm.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
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Superintendent Brian Yearwood originally proposed cutting academic instructional coaches as part of a plan to address a $188 million deficit in the 2026-27 budget.—
Kathryn Muchnick,
Louisville Courier Journal,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cold-shoulder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cold-shoulder. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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