Cool — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb noun adverb /ˈkül/

Meaning & Definition of Cool

Cool (adjective)

  1. moderately cold, lacking in warmth
  2. marked by steady dispassionate calmness and self-control
  3. lacking ardor or friendliness

Cool (verb)

  1. to become cool, lose heat or warmth —sometimes used with off or down
  2. to lose ardor or passion
  3. to make cool, impart a feeling of coolness to —often used with off or down

Cool (noun)

  1. a cool time, place, or situation
  2. absence of excitement or emotional involvement, detachment
  3. poise, composure

Cool (adverb)

  1. in a casual and nonchalant manner

Cool (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. being in the latest or current fashion

    "had a cool new hairstyle"

    similar: à la mode, au courant, chic, exclusive, fashionable, fresh (slang), happening, hip, in, modish, sharp, smart, snappy, stylish, supercool, swell, swish, trendy, voguish
    related: downtown, edgy, funky, dapper, dashing, dressy, kicky, natty, rakish, sassy, saucy, spiffy, spruce, chichi, classy, flossy, haute, nobby, posh, ritzy, soigné, swank, elegant, graceful, handsome, majestic, refined, sophisticated, stately, tasteful, understated, doggish, doggy, flashy, gallant, dandyish, dudish, foppish, ultrachic, ultracool, ultrahip, ultraposh, ultrasmart, ultrasophisticated
    opposite: dowdy, out, outmoded, styleless, unchic, uncool, unfashionable, unmodish, unstylish
    near: cheesy, tacky, unattractive, unbecoming, graceless, inelegant, tasteless, trashy, unhandsome, frowsy, sloppy, slovenly, unkempt, untidy, disheveled, messy, mussy, rumpled, wrinkled, shabby, sleazy

  2. having or showing a lack of friendliness or interest in others

    "the locals were cool towards outsiders"

    "the schoolmaster's cool manner did not encourage chitchat"

    similar: aloof, antisocial, asocial, buttoned-up, cold, cold-eyed, detached, distant, dry, frosty, offish, remote, standoff, standoffish, unbending, unclubbable, unsociable
    related: indrawn, introverted, nongregarious, recessive, reclusive, reserved, unsocial, withdrawn, misanthropic, apathetic, hard, indifferent, unconcerned, clinical, dispassionate, impersonal, professional, disinterested, incurious, uninterested, reticent, silent, taciturn, uncommunicative, diffident, shy, timid, cliquey, cliquish, clubbish
    opposite: cordial, friendly, sociable, social, warm
    near: boon, clubbable, clubby, companionable, convivial, extroverted, gregarious, outgoing, communicative, expansive, garrulous, talkative, affable, folksy, genial, gracious, hospitable, agreeable, amiable, congenial, kindly, neighborly

  3. free from emotional or mental agitation

    "in a crisis keep a cool head, even if no one else is"

    similar: calm, collected, composed, coolheaded, equal, level, limpid, peaceful, placid, possessed, recollected, sedate, self-composed, self-possessed, serene, smooth, together, tranquil, undisturbed, unperturbed, unruffled, unshaken, untroubled, unworried, at peace
    related: even, even-keeled, steady, well-adjusted, well-balanced, imperturbable, nerveless, unflappable, unshakable, centered, disciplined, equable, self-contained, self-controlled, affable, breezy, devil-may-care, easygoing, happy-go-lucky, laid-back, loosey-goosey, mellow, carefree, nonchalant, unconcerned, assured, confident, self-assured, aloof, detached, dispassionate, indifferent, bovine, impassive, phlegmatic, sober, stolid, relaxed, relieved, tranquilized
    opposite: agitated, discomposed, disturbed, flustered, perturbed, unglued, unhinged, unstrung, upset
    near: anxious, bothered, distressed, uneasy, unquiet, unsettled, worried, jittery, jumpy, nervous, restless, skittish, tense, high-strung, unstable, uptight

  4. having a low or subnormal temperature

    "a cool basement that would be perfect for storing wine"

    similar: algid, arctic, bitter, bone-chilling, chill, chilly, cold, coldish, coolish, freezing, frigid, frosty, gelid, glacial, ice-cold, icy, nipping, nippy, numbing, polar, shivery, snappy, wintry
    related: cryogenic, subfreezing, subzero, ultracold, cutting, keen, penetrating, piercing, sharp, bracing, brisk, crisp, invigorating, rigorous, chilled, cooled, frosted, frozen, iced, refrigerated, unheated
    opposite: ardent, blazing, boiling, broiling, burning, fervent, fervid, fiery, glowing, hot, igneous, molten, piping hot, red-hot, roasting, scalding, scorching, searing, seething, sizzling, sultry, sweltering, torrid, ultrahot, warming, white-hot
    near: lukewarm, tepid, heated, overheated, reheated, warmed, snug, toasty, warm, feverish, flushed, inflamed, canicular, equatorial, muggy, steamy, summery, tropical

  5. lacking in friendliness or warmth of feeling

    "directed a cool glance at the student who was sneaking into class late"

    similar: antiseptic, arctic, brittle, chill, chilly, clammy, cold, cold-blooded, cold-eyed, coldish, frigid, frosty, frozen, gelid, glacial, hard-eyed, icy, uncordial, unfriendly, unsympathetic, wintry
    related: bloodless, coldhearted, hard-hearted, heartless, kindless, pitiless, uncaring, unfeeling, reserved, soulless, undemonstrative, unemotional, unresponsive, apathetic, indifferent, unenthusiastic, uninterested, aloof, detached, dispassionate, impersonal, offish, standoffish, antisocial, unsociable, unsocial
    opposite: cordial, friendly, genial, happy, hearty, sympathetic, warm, warm-blooded, warmhearted
    near: compassionate, kind, kindhearted, demonstrative, emotional, expressive, eager, enthusiastic, passionate

  6. keenly aware of and responsive to the latest developments especially in fashion and entertainment

    "a Greek island that's the current favorite of the cool crowd"

    similar: au courant, def (slang), downtown, groovy, hep, hip, in, mod, now, trendy, turned-on, with-it
    related: à la mode, chic, fashionable, modish, sharp, smart, snappy, stylish, voguish
    opposite: out, uncool, unhip, untrendy
    near: geeky, nerdish, nerdy, dowdy, styleless, unfashionable, unstylish

  7. of the very best kind

    "a really cool garage band that's starting to get some attention from the music industry"

    similar: A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, bonny (chiefly British), boss (slang), brag, brave, bully, bumper, capital, choice, classic, corking, crackerjack, cracking, dandy, divine, dope (slang), down (slang), dynamite, excellent, fab, fabulous, famous, fantabulous (slang), fantastic, fine, first-class, first-rate, first-string, five-star, four-star, frontline, gangbusters, gilt-edged, gone (slang), grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-class, hot, hype (slang), immense, jim-dandy, keen, lovely, marvelous, mean, neat, nifty, noble, number one, numero uno, out-of-sight (slang), par excellence, peachy, peachy keen, phat (slang), prime, primo (slang), prize, prizewinning, quality, radical (slang), righteous (slang), sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, top-of-the-line, top-shelf, topflight, topping (chiefly British), unsurpassed, wizard (chiefly British), wonderful, out of this world, too much
    related: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, good, OK, passable, satisfactory, tolerable, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, high-test, premium, select, special, superfine, classical, standard, traditional
    opposite: atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched
    near: bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory, mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate

Cool (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to cause to lose heat

    "cool your drinks in the icy mountain stream"

    similar: chill, refrigerate
    related: air-condition, freeze, frost, ice, quick-freeze, supercool, ventilate
    opposite: heat, toast, warm
    near: bake, boil, broil, steam, heat-treat, temper, microwave

  2. to become still and orderly

    "after the recess, tempers had cooled, and we could have a civil, rational discussion"

    similar: calm (down), chill out (slang), hush, pipe down, quiet, settle (down), cool it
    related: dry up, relax, tranquilize, unwind, zone out
    opposite: act up, carry on, cut up
    near: clown (around), fool around, horse around, monkey (around), show off, skylark

Cool (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. the absence of emotional involvement

    "the judge's customary cool stood her in good stead during the sensational trial"

    similar: coldness, detachment, dispassion, dispassionateness
    related: equitability, equitableness, fairness, disinterest, disinterestedness, impartiality, nonpartisanship, objectivity, unbiasedness, balance, rationality, rationalness, reasonability, reasonableness, calm, calmness, peace, peacefulness, placidity, quiet, quietness, quietude, repose, restfulness, sereneness, serenity, tranquility, tranquilness, reserve, undemonstrativeness, unresponsiveness, apathy, indifference
    near: emotionalism, bias, favor, one-sidedness, partiality, partisanship, prejudice

  2. the quality or state of being fashionable

    "a designer who was the arbiter of cool"

    similar: coolness, fashionableness, hip, hipness, hipsterism, modishness, stylishness, trendiness, voguishness
    related: chic, chicness, dapperness, elegance, poshness, smartness, style, swank, swankiness, class, grace, gracefulness, majesty, stateliness, artfulness, polish, sophistication, taste, tastefulness
    opposite: unfashionableness
    near: flashiness, garishness, gaudiness, gracelessness, grotesqueness, tackiness, tastelessness, tawdriness

  3. evenness of emotions or temper

    "despite the flood of insults, the fledgling stand-up comic never lost his cool"

    similar: aplomb, calmness, collectedness, composedness, composure, coolness, countenance, equanimity, equilibrium, imperturbability, placidity, repose, sangfroid, self-composedness, self-possession, serenity, tranquility, tranquilness
    related: assurance, confidence, poise, self-assurance, self-assuredness, self-confidence, self-trust, easygoingness, laid-backness, apathy, detachment, impassivity, indifference, insensibility, numbness, phlegm, unconcern
    opposite: agitation, discomposure, perturbation
    near: alarm, anxiety, anxiousness, apprehension, apprehensiveness, care, concern, disquiet, solicitude, uneasiness, worry, excitability, excitableness, nervousness, disturbance

Related Entry: Cool it (phrase)

Cool it is a different word from Cool. The synonyms below are for cool it, not for cool.

  1. to become still and orderly

    "You need to cool it before we all get in trouble."

    similar: calm (down), chill out (slang), cool, hush, quiet, pipe down, settle (down)
    related: dry up, relax, tranquilize, unwind, zone out
    opposite: act up, carry on, cut up
    near: clown (around), fool around, horse around, monkey (around), show off, skylark

Related Entry: Cool one's heels (phrase)

Cool one's heels is a different word from Cool. The synonyms below are for cool one's heels, not for cool.

  1. to remain in place in readiness or expectation of something

    "They cooled their heels at the table for almost half an hour before the waiter appeared."

    similar: await, bide, hold on, stay, wait, bide one's time, hold one's breath, sit tight
    related: hang around, linger, remain, stick around, tarry, stand by, anticipate, expect, watch (for)

Related Entry: Cool (down) (verb)

Cool (down) is a different word from Cool. The synonyms below are for cool (down), not for cool.

  1. as in calm (down), settle (down)

    similar: calm (down), settle (down), belt up (British), clam up, dry up, dummy up, hush, pipe down, quiet (down), shut up, haw, hem
    opposite: speak, talk, pipe up, sound off, speak out, speak up, spout (off), talk up

Related Entry: Cool (off or down) (verb)

Cool (off or down) is a different word from Cool. The synonyms below are for cool (off or down), not for cool.

  1. as in relax, chill out

    similar: chill out (slang), relax, calm (down), simmer down, hush, quiet (down)
    opposite: blow up, flare (up), flip (out) (slang), anger, fulminate, rage, rant, rave, snap, snarl, sputter, storm, tee off, vent, vituperate, bristle, burn, foam, fume, glare, glower, seethe, sizzle, smolder, steam, warm

Related Entry: Blow one's cool (phrase)

Blow one's cool is a different word from Cool. The synonyms below are for blow one's cool, not for cool.

  1. to become very angry

    "He blew his cool when the tailgater rear-ended him."

    similar: blow up, flare (up), flip (out) (slang), blow a gasket, blow one's stack, blow one's top, fly into a rage, fly off the handle, forget oneself, go ballistic, have a fit, hit the ceiling, hit the roof, lose one's cool, lose one's temper
    related: anger, fulminate, rage, rant, rave, snap, snarl, sputter, storm, tee off, vent, vituperate, bristle, burn, foam, fume, glare, glower, seethe, sizzle, smolder, steam, warm, burst, explode, flare (out), flash, inflame, madden
    opposite: calm (down), simmer down
    near: chill out (slang), cool (off or down), relax, hush, quiet (down)

  2. to yield to mental or emotional stress

    "The movie star tolerated the constant attention of the paparazzi, but finally blew her cool when one asked about her recent divorce."

    similar: break down, break up, crack, flip (out) (slang), freak (out), melt down, wig (out) (slang), fall apart, go off the deep end, go to pieces, lose it
    related: choke

Related Entry: Lose one's cool (phrase)

Lose one's cool is a different word from Cool. The synonyms below are for lose one's cool, not for cool.

  1. to become very angry

    "He lost his cool when he couldn't beat the game."

    similar: blow up, flare (up), flip (out) (slang), blow a gasket, blow one's cool, blow one's stack, blow one's top, fly into a rage, fly off the handle, forget oneself, go ballistic, have a fit, hit the ceiling, hit the roof, lose one's temper
    related: anger, fulminate, rage, rant, rave, snap, snarl, sputter, storm, tee off, vent, vituperate, bristle, burn, foam, fume, glare, glower, seethe, sizzle, smolder, steam, warm, burst, explode, flare (out), flash, inflame, madden
    opposite: calm (down), simmer down
    near: chill out (slang), cool (off or down), relax, hush, quiet (down)

Related Entry: Blown one's cool (phrase)

Blown one's cool is a different word from Cool. The synonyms below are for blown one's cool, not for cool.

  1. to become very angry

    "He blew his cool when the tailgater rear-ended him."

    similar: blown up, flared (up), flipped (out) (slang), blown a gasket, blown one's stack, blown one's top, flown into a rage, flown off the handle, forgotten oneself, gone ballistic, had a fit, hit the ceiling, hit the roof, lost one's cool, lost one's temper
    related: angered, fulminated, raged, ranted, raved, snapped, snarled, sputtered, stormed, teed off, vented, vituperated, bristled, burned, foamed, fumed, glared, glowered, seethed, sizzled, smoldered, steamed, warmed, burst, exploded, flared (out), flashed, inflamed, maddened
    opposite: calmed (down), simmered down
    near: chilled out (slang), cooled (off or down), relaxed, hushed, quieted (down)

  2. to yield to mental or emotional stress

    "The movie star tolerated the constant attention of the paparazzi, but finally blew her cool when one asked about her recent divorce."

    similar: broken down, broken up, cracked, flipped (out) (slang), freaked (out), melted down, wigged (out) (slang), fallen apart, gone off the deep end, gone to pieces, lost it
    related: choked

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Cool

The most common words with a similar meaning to Cool:

Slang: fresh, def, boss, dope, down, fantabulous, gone, hype, out-of-sight, phat, primo, radical
Chiefly British: bonny, topping, wizard
à la mode, au courant, chic, exclusive, fashionable, happening, hip, in, modish, sharp, smart, snappy, stylish, supercool, swell, swish, trendy, voguish, aloof, antisocial, asocial, buttoned-up, cold, cold-eyed, detached, distant, dry, frosty, offish, remote, standoff, standoffish, unbending, unclubbable, unsociable, calm, collected, composed, coolheaded, equal

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Cool

Words with the opposite meaning of Cool:

dowdy, out, outmoded, styleless, unchic, uncool, unfashionable, unmodish, unstylish, cordial, friendly, sociable, social, warm, agitated, discomposed, disturbed, flustered, perturbed, unglued, unhinged, unstrung, upset, ardent, blazing, boiling, broiling, burning, fervent, fervid

Related Words for Cool

edgy, funky, dapper, dashing, dressy, kicky, natty, rakish, sassy, saucy, spiffy, spruce, chichi, classy, flossy, haute, nobby, posh, ritzy, soigné, swank, elegant, graceful, handsome, majestic, refined, sophisticated, stately, tasteful, understated

Near Antonyms of Cool

cheesy, tacky, unattractive, unbecoming, graceless, inelegant, tasteless, trashy, unhandsome, frowsy, sloppy, slovenly, unkempt, untidy, disheveled, messy, mussy, rumpled, wrinkled, shabby, sleazy, boon, clubbable, clubby, companionable, convivial, extroverted, gregarious, outgoing, communicative

Word Forms of Cool

Inflections: cooler, coolest, cooled, cooling, cools

Derived words: coolish (adjective), coolly (adverb), coolness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Cool

Middle English col, going back to Old English cōl, going back to West Germanic *kōlu- (whence also Middle Dutch coele "moderately cold" and, from a variant *kōlja-, Old High German kuoli), lengthened-grade derivative from the base of *kalan- "to be cold" cold:1

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Cool

Words & Phrases Containing Cool

cool beans, cool it, cool one's heels, cool customer, blow one's cool, calm, cool, and collected

Frequently Asked Questions about Cool

What does "Cool" mean?

"Cool" means moderately cold, lacking in warmth. As an an adjective, a verb, a noun and an adverb, it is defined as: moderately cold, lacking in warmth. It has 12 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Cool"?

Other words for "Cool" include à la mode, au courant, chic, exclusive, fashionable, fresh, happening and hip. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Cool" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Cool"?

There are 455 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Cool". Common alternatives include à la mode, au courant, chic, exclusive, fashionable, fresh, happening, hip, in and modish.

What is a slang word for "Cool"?

Slang words for "Cool" include fresh, def, boss, dope, down and fantabulous.

What is the opposite of "Cool"?

Antonyms of "Cool" include dowdy, out, outmoded, styleless, unchic, uncool, unfashionable and unmodish. Near antonyms include cheesy, tacky, unattractive and unbecoming.

How do you use "Cool" in a sentence?

Examples of "Cool" in a sentence: "had a cool new hairstyle"; "the locals were cool towards outsiders"; "the schoolmaster's cool manner did not encourage chitchat".

Is "Cool" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Cool" can be used as an adjective, a verb, a noun and an adverb, depending on the context.

Is "Cool" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Cool" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.