frosty

adjective

ˈfrȯ-stē 

frostier; frostiest

1

a

: attended with or producing frost : freezing

b

: briskly cold : chilly

2

: covered or appearing as if covered with frost : hoary

a man of 65, with frosty eyebrows and hair

—Nan Robertson

3

: marked by coolness or extreme reserve in manner

his smile was distinctly frosty

—Erle Stanley Gardner

frostily

ˈfrȯ-stə-lē 

adverb

frostiness

ˈfrȯ-stē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• algid
• arctic
• bitter
• bone-chilling
• chill
• chilly
• cold
• coldish
• cool
• coolish
• freezing
• frigid
• gelid
• glacial
• ice-cold
• icy
• nipping
• nippy
• numbing
• polar
• shivery
• snappy
• wintry
• wintery

Examples of frosty in a Sentence

We received a frosty welcome.

a frosty autumn that was a sign of the brutal winter that followed

Recent Examples on the Web

Bieber's nails are a coppery light brown shade with a shimmery, frosty chrome topper, true to her favorite nail aesthetic. —Kara Nesvig, Allure, 31 Oct. 2024

Relations between the countries have been frosty since then. —Rob Gillies, Aijaz Hussain, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Oct. 2024

The drill began anew: quarantine, fruit-stripping, ground-level pesticide spraying, more buckets of frosty male Medflies. —Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2024

Vanilla fans have nothing to be frosty about now that this Frosty flavor is back. —Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 17 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

frosty

adjective

ˈfrȯ-stē 

frostier; frostiest

1

: cold enough to produce frost

a frosty night

2

: covered or appearing to be covered with frost

a frosty glass

3

: cool in manner

frostily

-stə-lē 

adverb

frostiness

-stē-nəs 

noun