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View synonyms for cold shoulder

cold shoulder

1

[ kohld shohl-der ]

noun

  1. a show of deliberate indifference or disregard.


adjective

  1. Also cold-shoul·der. (of a sleeved garment) having a portion of each sleeve cut out, leaving the shoulders exposed:

    cold shoulder tops for everyday wear;

    a cold-shoulder dress.

cold-shoulder

2

[ kohld-shohl-der ]

verb (used with object)

  1. to snub; show indifference to.

cold shoulder

noun

  1. the cold shoulder
    a show of indifference; a slight
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


verb

  1. to treat with indifference
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

cold shoulder

  1. To “give someone the cold shoulder” is to ignore someone deliberately: “At the party, Carl tried to talk to Suzanne, but she gave him the cold shoulder.”


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Word History and Origins

Origin of cold shoulder1

First recorded in 1810–20; cold shoulder def 2 was first recorded in 2010–15

Origin of cold shoulder2

First recorded in 1810–20
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Idioms and Phrases

Deliberate coldness or disregard, a slight or snub. For example, When I said hello to her in the library, she gave me the cold shoulder and walked away . This term, which first appeared in writings by Sir Walter Scott and others, supposedly alludes to the custom of welcoming a desired guest with a meal of roasted meat, but serving only a cold shoulder of beef or lamb—a far inferior dish—to those who outstayed their welcome. [Early 1800s]
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Example Sentences

Beyoncé, months after lamenting not “being country ‘nough” in “Cowboy Carter,” is getting the cold shoulder from the country music scene — again.

What if the company just gave this guy the cold shoulder?

From Salon

China also has turned a cold shoulder to a Ukraine peace conference that is set to be hosted by Switzerland in June and snubs Russia.

Colin is disheartened to find Penelope giving him the cold shoulder, and so offers to help her in her pursuit of a husband in order to win back her friendship.

From BBC

Now, however, she is getting the cold shoulder from Republican colleagues.

From Salon

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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