cold-shoulder 1 of 2

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

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cold shoulder

2 of 2

noun

as in dismissal
treatment that is deliberately unfriendly at the party the two former friends consciously gave each other the cold shoulder

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example 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
Noun
But the Rockies gave them a cold shoulder, losing 6-3 to the Athletics in 11 innings in a game that took 3 hours and 21 minutes. Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2025 Worst of all, local and state government agencies have shown an increasing tendency to fend off public-records requests with barriers like unjustified fees or a simple cold shoulder, letting records requests lie dormant for weeks or months with no response. Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, Orlando Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2025 The omission sparked some spirited posts on social media about Young and other players who received a cold shoulder from voters. Chantz Martin, Fox News, 1 Feb. 2025 The actress wore the brand’s cold shoulder midi dress, which featured a plunging neckline with gold-tone bead detailing. Julia Teti, WWD, 31 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cold-shoulder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cold-shoulder
Verb
  • The incident is believed to be isolated and Boodarian is not a suspect in any other burglaries, the sources said.
    Julie Sone, ABC News, 15 July 2025
  • While some environmental bacteria are known to isolate PFAS, the chemicals' interaction with human gut bacteria has been unclear.
    Jay Kakade July 12, New Atlas, 12 July 2025
Noun
  • The Justice Department’s dismissal of the charges comes as Moore started a 15-day trial earlier this week in Salt Lake City, Utah.
    David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 12 July 2025
  • President Donald Trump’s potential dismissal of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is a major and underpriced risk that could trigger a selloff in the US dollar and Treasuries, a Deutsche Bank AG strategist said.
    Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 12 July 2025
Verb
  • Putin has stubbornly snubbed Trump’s demand for a ceasefire, a plea Zelenskyy quickly agreed to.
    Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 8 July 2025
  • The argument, of course, could be made that Robert Suarez was snubbed, given that his 25 saves are five more than any other NL reliever.
    Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 July 2025
Noun
  • Brit greets everyone, including Kelli, who opts for the ever-mature silent treatment.
    Shelby Stewart, Essence, 22 June 2025
  • Modern nineteenth-century prisons in various parts of the world, including in the British empire, began to model their own prisons off of the Eastern State Penitentiary, instituting separate and silent treatments that suppressed language.
    Amir Hussain June 6, Literary Hub, 6 June 2025
Verb
  • New York’s 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Maxwell’s appeal effort last year, finding that the deal drawn up in 2007 and approved the following year only protected Epstein and his coconspirators in South Florida.
    Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 15 July 2025
  • If anyone else tries such commands, the AGI and ASI reject them summarily.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
Verb
  • And for the legions of blue-collar stiffs just like him.
    Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2025
  • The boar bristles are bendy to move with hair but still stiff enough to detangle knots.
    Olivia Cigliano, Footwear News, 12 June 2025
Verb
  • During a June 10 hearing, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he was disappointed with the administration’s budget request for the Navy for the 2026 fiscal year, which cut the spending to $21 billion from $37 billion in the prior year.
    Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 9 July 2025
  • To pay for these initiatives, the law cuts Medicaid and food stamps — programs relied upon by poor households with children — by more than $1 trillion.
    MORIAH BALINGIT, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2025
Verb
  • Related article Gay rights icon Harvey Milk’s legacy slighted by decision to rename Navy ship Wald says that waiting to transition can create additional psychological distress for a child and can raise their risk of depression, suicidality, self-harm or substance misuse.
    Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 18 June 2025
  • Despite Meg’s efforts to connect, Ellen (Kyra Sedgwick) repeatedly slights her future daughter-in-law.
    Natalia Winkelman, New York Times, 22 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Cold-shoulder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cold-shoulder. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.

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