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
Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
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
Noun
There are screaming matches and cold shoulders.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
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
-
After two dismissals, 8 residents filed a third lawsuit against VENU in January.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
14 Apr. 2026
-
News of the dismissals was first reported by The New York Times.—
Laura Romero,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Disconnecting the negative cable first isolates the battery and eliminates that possibility.—
John Paul Senior Manager Public Affairs And Traffic Safety Aaa Northeast,
Hartford Courant,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Meek’s best writing often isolates intimate moments with tenderness and relatability.—
Dean Van Nguyen,
Pitchfork,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The former plantation rejects the rosy antebellum view, focusing instead on slavery’s horrors.—
Catherine Garcia,
TheWeek,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Iran rejects the prospect of negotiations being conducted under pressure or aimed at Tehran surrendering, the the Iranian official told Reuters.—
Kevin Breuninger,
CNBC,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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That’s because Deadwyler has proven her knack for summoning visceral, harrowingly realistic emotion in stories of painful resonance, work which has led to a bevy of critics’ awards, Indie Spirit and BAFTA nominations — and a good deal of outcry over Oscar snubs.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Apr. 2026
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The season’s three biggest acting snubs got to introduce their casting directors during this segment, which was a nice way to give them flowers for strong performances.—
William Earl,
Variety,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Additional features include CleanWeb, which blocks ads, trackers, and malware at the network level, and a Kill Switch that cuts internet access if the VPN connection drops unexpectedly.—
StackCommerce Team,
PC Magazine,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Meta cuts 8,000 workers Welp, Meta is once again eliminating jobs in light of its massive spending on artificial intelligence.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Sigmund Freud believed that every crush has a strand of disgust, that people are attracted to what repulses them.—
Daniel Felsenthal,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Charlie, though, is trying to keep them out of a country that thoroughly repulses him.—
Alexander Nazaryan,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cold shoulders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cold%20shoulders. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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