coldness
noun
Simple meaning
A lack of affection or enthusiasm.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kohldnuhsSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkoʊldnəs
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A lack of affection or enthusiasm
“A distressing coldness of tone and manner.”
The sensation produced by low temperatures
The sensation resulting from exposure to low temperatures.
The relative lack of heat.
The absence of heat
“The coldness made our breath visible.”
Limited enthusiasm or affection; coolness.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Rare
- Formality
- Technical
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A lack of affection or enthusiasm
Used this way, coldness is a common word carrying real weight of difficulty or hurt. It carries more force than its gentler alternatives. It turns up most in personal or emotional discussion and literature or storytelling contexts.
“A distressing coldness of tone and manner.”
- Emotional tone
- Strongly negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Strong
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Everyday but emotionally strong
Where it naturally appears
- Personal/emotional discussion
- Literature/storytelling
Usage note
Coldness is emotionally heavy: it suggests deep or lasting feeling, not a passing mood, so it can overstate a small reaction.
Natural pattern: coldness of …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Lack / limitednoun
“A distressing coldness of tone and manner.”
Absencenoun
“The coldness made our breath visible.”
More ways to use coldness
- “The coldness made our breath visible.”noun
- “A distressing coldness of tone and manner.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
Having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: lack of affection or enthusiasm
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.