froideur

noun

froi·​deur ˌf(r)wä-ˈdər How to pronounce froideur (audio)
-ˈdœr
: coolness or extreme reserve in manner
… glaring at reporters from beneath her jet-black eyebrows, lasering unwelcome questions with arctic blasts of froideur.Tom Shone and Nicoletta Santoro
There was, as befitting his Scandinavian froideur, little outward sign of emotion …Oliver Brown

Examples of froideur in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Yet her froideur served her well in 1974, when a man pulled up in front of her and her husband’s Rolls-Royce and ordered her to get out. Simon Usborne, Town & Country, 18 Jan. 2023 When our conversation neared the subject of partisan influence on the Exchange, Rinat evinced a tactful froideur. Wired, 15 July 2022 Inna and Maksym still loved their parents, and spoke to them often, but the tumult of 2014 created an intergenerational froideur. Ed Caesar, The New Yorker, 20 June 2022 Christie, on the other hand, nails the icy froideur of a top-tier arts administrator, all murderous self-interest under a thin veneer of jocularity and red satin. Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Feb. 2022 There is a froideur, a coldness, in some interactions. Rachel Donadio, The Atlantic, 22 Nov. 2021 His runway shows, too, were some of fashion’s most fun, with good music, snacks, and revelry replacing the froideur that can permeate other events. Steff Yotka, Vogue, 28 July 2021 Patient, composed, and cool to the point of froideur, Martin Scorsese’s latest film, speculating on the fate of Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino), slows the passage of time. Natan Last, The New Yorker, 29 Nov. 2019 Such is the method of the movie: patient, composed, and cool to the point of froideur. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2019

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, literally, "chill, cold," going back to Old French freidur, froidour, from freid, froid "cold" (going back to Latin frīgidus) + -ur, -our -or entry 2 — more at frigid

First Known Use

1645, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of froideur was in 1645

Dictionary Entries Near froideur

Cite this Entry

“Froideur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/froideur. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

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