cold-shoulder 1 of 2

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

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cold shoulder

2 of 2

noun

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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-shoulder
Noun
The omission sparked some spirited posts on social media about Young and other players who received a cold shoulder from voters. Chantz Martin, Fox News, 1 Feb. 2025 The actress wore the brand’s cold shoulder midi dress, which featured a plunging neckline with gold-tone bead detailing. Julia Teti, WWD, 31 Jan. 2025 Worst of all, local and state government agencies have shown an increasing tendency to fend off public-records requests with barriers like unjustified fees or a simple cold shoulder, letting records requests lie dormant for weeks or months with no response. Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, Orlando Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2025 In a 2008 Ebony profile, Banks posed with Iman, Alek Wek and Kimora Lee Simmons—women who were all toggling between fabulous modeling careers, as the faces of high fashion, and new options, in case the world of struts ever turned a cold shoulder. Essence, 25 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cold-shoulder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cold-shoulder
Verb
  • Crews isolated hotspots and began mop-up operations, while additional resources arrived to relieve initial attack personnel.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 12 June 2025
  • By design, being caught up in the flood of horrible news can feel incredibly isolating, and protests are one way to combat that.
    Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 June 2025
Noun
  • Despite the low scoring, United fans would ideally like to give Amorim time to reshape the squad to his liking, rather than call for his immediate dismissal.
    Carl Anka, New York Times, 7 June 2025
  • His dismissal — and that of several other judges whom President Trump brought in in his first term in office — sparked immediate GOP outrage and claims of political interference.
    Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 6 June 2025
Verb
  • Taylor Swift was snubbed at the American Music Awards (AMAs) won Monday, according to the singer's fans.
    Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 May 2025
  • Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed, but Putin snubbed Trump and has stubbornly refused to end the fighting.
    Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 27 May 2025
Noun
  • Modern nineteenth-century prisons in various parts of the world, including in the British empire, began to model their own prisons off of the Eastern State Penitentiary, instituting separate and silent treatments that suppressed language.
    Amir Hussain June 6, Literary Hub, 6 June 2025
  • In a 2015 study, researchers Esther Liu and Michael Roloff suggested that stonewalling or silent treatment could be a response to feeling emotionally drained or burnt out from overthinking about a conflict.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
Verb
  • But judges reviewing other eligibility cases have rejected this interpretation as construing Alston beyond its actual words.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 10 June 2025
  • If the deal is rejected, athletes can adjust the terms and resubmit or seek arbitration.
    Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 June 2025
Verb
  • Harsh cleaning powders and gels can scratch the surface, as can stiff brushes and scouring pads.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 20 May 2025
  • The past two comparable moves in this small-investor proxy, in November 2022 and March 2022, led to stiff near-term declines in the basket within weeks.
    Michael Santoli, CNBC, 26 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • In a series of posts on social media, the National Weather Service warned that that twisters could be cutting across the central and southern part of the metro.
    Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 3 June 2025
  • White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at Tuesday’s briefing that Vought would continue to cut spending, hinting that there could be additional efforts to return funds.
    Josh Boak, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
Verb
  • Aware of the ongoing discourse around Joey Bada$$’s comments—which some took as slighting the West Coast’s current success—Soul stepped up with a diplomatic but direct verse.
    Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 14 May 2025
  • No one feels slighted that a title won’t be on the line in a WrestleMania main event.
    Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Cold-shoulder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cold-shoulder. Accessed 15 Jun. 2025.

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