as in to isolate
to deliberately ignore or treat rudely
cold-shouldered by his old friends after his family had lost all of its money
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in dismissal
treatment that is deliberately unfriendly
at the party the two former friends consciously gave each other the cold shoulder
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of cold-shoulder
Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 6 Feb. 2019
Meanwhile, Colin has returned from his travels and is disheartened by Penelope's cold shoulder.
—Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 16 May 2024
The voluminous tulle piece included cold shoulders and a corseted bodice, and was paired with dazzling diamond drop earrings and stacks of diamond bracelets and rings.
—Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 2 May 2023
China’s cold shoulder to a hotline call from Washington underscores glaring misunderstandings in the U.S.-China relationship and key differences in how the two sides view crisis management.
—Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Mar. 2023
See all Example Sentences for cold-shoulder 
Noun
Moscow blamed Israeli recklessness and turned a cold shoulder to Netanyahu.
—Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 6 Feb. 2019
Meanwhile, Colin has returned from his travels and is disheartened by Penelope's cold shoulder.
—Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 16 May 2024
The voluminous tulle piece included cold shoulders and a corseted bodice, and was paired with dazzling diamond drop earrings and stacks of diamond bracelets and rings.
—Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 2 May 2023
China’s cold shoulder to a hotline call from Washington underscores glaring misunderstandings in the U.S.-China relationship and key differences in how the two sides view crisis management.
—Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Mar. 2023
See all Example Sentences for cold-shoulder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cold-shoulder
Verb
-
China demonstrated its pull on the world stage by welcoming a delegation from Saudi Arabia with its first pavilion at the event, as well as its close ties with Russia even as that country is isolated from Western nations and their allies due to its invasion of Ukraine.Reuters, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
-
Politically, China continues to attempt to isolate Taiwan.David Sacks, Foreign Affairs, 8 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
Note that states with lots of quits and dismissals also ranked high on hirings.Jonathan Lansner, Orange County Register, 20 Nov. 2024
-
The dismissal of Douglas, who was 30-64 and had no winning seasons in his tenure, came exactly six weeks after Johnson fired Saleh as coach on Oct. 8 after the Jets were 2-3 to open the year.Dennis Waszak Jr., Twin Cities, 19 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
In one of the best performances of Sissy Spacek’s career (and shame on all the awards-giving bodies who snubbed it), the Oscar winner plays a woman teetering on the edge of sanity, unsure not just of what is happening but when.Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2024
-
About lives of three women in Mumbai dealing with work and love and encroaching gentrification, the film, perhaps because of its portrayal of a growing wealth gap in India, was snubbed by India as its Oscar submission.Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 25 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
No spanking, humiliation, silent treatment, name calling, withholding of love and affection, or nonsensical punishments and consequences.Meghan Leahy, Washington Post, 3 July 2024
-
After her husband retired, the disengagement, silent treatment and lack of support that characterized the relationship worsened.Abby Ellin, Washington Post, 1 July 2024
Verb
-
Despite high-profile endorsements and millions of dollars spent on advertising, Colorado voters rejected Initiative 131.Krista Kafer, The Denver Post, 11 Nov. 2024
-
In 2018, Arizona voters overwhelmingly rejected school vouchers.Eli Hager, ProPublica, 9 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
The dialogue was ham-handed, the performances stiff, the villain lame, the story stupid.Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 July 2024
-
The 100 percent carbon shaft of the Storm 2 is strong enough to withstand freakish plants that would normally end in snapping, light enough (at 75 grams per meter) to prevent fatigue after repetitive motion, and stiff enough to propel us forward.Stephanie Pearson, Outside Online, 10 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
With the extra attacker out, Fabian Zetterlund scored a power-play goal with 26 seconds left in regulation time to cut the Rangers lead to 3-2, but the Sharks could not find the equalizer.Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 14 Nov. 2024
-
This isn’t the only gentleman-on-gentleman peck cut from the film.Bethy Squires, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
Arab Americans are one voting bloc that’s used to being slighted by both major parties.Abdallah Fayyad, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
-
In this case, the full-band parts of the concert have no reason to be slighted if someone feels compelled to single out Hart’s section as primo.Chris Willman, Variety, 12 Aug. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near cold-shoulder
Cite this Entry
“Cold-shoulder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cold-shoulder. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share