1
as in detached
having or showing a lack of friendliness or interest in others
the attendant's cold-eyed stare discouraged any thoughts about having a conversation
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in icy
lacking in friendliness or warmth of feeling
under the cold-eyed gaze of the director, I auditioned for the part
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of cold-eyed
Yet, however eager the demonstrations of Denmark’s contribution and NATO’s collective goodwill may be, a more cold-eyed rationale may lie beneath their surface.
—
Lisa Abend, Time, 18 Jan. 2026
The patriarch would like the ladies and Coleman to join him forthwith in Mexico; the letter’s bearer – a cold-eyed brute named Amos Turlow – will serve as guide.
—Erin Douglass, Christian Science Monitor, 26 Nov. 2025
These were acts of opportunism by a cold-eyed pragmatist.
—James Verini, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2025
Acknowledging this is cold-eyed realism; humiliating and undercutting an ally, perhaps with worse to come in the form of a sweetheart deal for Moscow, is not.
—The Editors, National Review, 20 Feb. 2025
Better, these analysts argue, to approach the rivalry in realpolitik terms—as a cold-eyed contest over power—and leave values to the side.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 16 Mar. 2021
Lisa Abend, Time, 18 Jan. 2026
The patriarch would like the ladies and Coleman to join him forthwith in Mexico; the letter’s bearer – a cold-eyed brute named Amos Turlow – will serve as guide.
—Erin Douglass, Christian Science Monitor, 26 Nov. 2025
These were acts of opportunism by a cold-eyed pragmatist.
—James Verini, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2025
Acknowledging this is cold-eyed realism; humiliating and undercutting an ally, perhaps with worse to come in the form of a sweetheart deal for Moscow, is not.
—The Editors, National Review, 20 Feb. 2025
Better, these analysts argue, to approach the rivalry in realpolitik terms—as a cold-eyed contest over power—and leave values to the side.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 16 Mar. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cold-eyed
Adjective
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That doesn’t mean being passive or detached.—
Glenn Kurlander,
Fortune,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Total sales were down 1% to 5,663, and Jefferson, Douglas, Arapahoe and Adams counties all had slightly more detached home sales than Denver.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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In Nashville, Tennessee, a small nonprofit mobilized volunteers to check on elderly and homebound neighbors, salt icy driveways, and run emergency errands.—
Cat Ward,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Passengers faced a chilling ordeal when their cruise ship became stuck in icy Antarctic waters.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Some eighty-thousand men, women and children would be sentenced to transportation, taking them from Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland to a distant region of the British Empire that would come to be known as Tasmania.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
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In the not-too-distant past, a rocket might launch to orbit every few weeks or so.—
Elizabeth Howell,
Space.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Temperatures could repeatedly drop well below seasonal averages, with some cold snaps 20 to 30 degrees colder than normal, forecasts suggest.—
Brandi D. Addison,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
3 Feb. 2026
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His family-run nursery specializes in growing cold-hardy citrus trees.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Carden-Lovell recommends splurging on time off, taking advantage of shoulder season's lower prices, thinner crowds and cooler weather (outside spring break periods, of course).—
Natalie B. Compton The Washington Post,
Arkansas Online,
1 Feb. 2026
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The air 15 to 20 degrees cooler than usual, the 60s for Saturday morning qualifying and Saturday afternoon’s race.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Another child, a toddler, died at a Virginia hospital after being pulled from a frigid pond Monday, according to local police.—
Russ Bynum,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
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Saturday remains sharply frigid, with wind chills holding between 5 and 10 degrees.—
Justin Lewis,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Whether it's been a few days or a few years, a forkful of liver and onions will always deliver a dose of nostalgia—after all, this was the recipe so many Southern grandmas made to keep warm and fortified on an unseasonably chilly day.—
Catherine Jessee,
Southern Living,
30 Jan. 2026
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The light wooden furniture, cosy space and Mediterranean menu offers a pleasant respite from the chilly damp of London’s winter.—
Joanne Shurvell,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Traditional robotics has addressed this by separating locomotion and manipulation into distinct controllers linked by state machines, resulting in slow, brittle, and unnatural behavior.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Jan. 2026
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It's typically dried rather than eaten raw, with a brittle shell and stringy pulp that's traditionally cracked open and steeped to make a mildly sweet, herbal tea.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cold-eyed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cold-eyed. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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