midwinter

American  

[mid-win-ter, -win-, mid-win-ter] / ˈmɪdˈwɪn tər, -ˌwɪn-, ˈmɪdˌwɪn tər /

noun

1. the middle of winter.

2. the winter solstice, around December 22.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or occurring in the middle of the winter.

midwinter British  

/ ˈmɪdˈwɪntə /

noun

1. 1. the middle or depth of the winter

   2. ( as modifier )

      a midwinter festival

2. another name for winter solstice

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Other Word Forms

• midwinterly adjective
• midwintry adjective

Etymology

Origin of midwinter

before 1150; Middle English, Old English; mid ¹, winter

Example Sentences

As the child of penny-pinching Sicilian parents, I’m all too familiar with the dread surrounding the thermostat come midwinter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

How were so many otherwise reasonable people pranked into venturing to an empty Brooklyn Bridge Park in the bleak midwinter as 2025 ebbed to nothing, for nothing?

From Salon • Jan. 21, 2026

Krampus likely evolved from older, pre-Christian deities, just as Christmas absorbed solstice and midwinter customs, the author explained.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 25, 2025

The ground in November is not as cold as it would be in midwinter so some of the snow hitting the roads will probably melt, though larger accumulations could gather on colder grassy surfaces.

From BBC • Nov. 14, 2024

Announcement Day—February 10, 2007—turned out to be a bright, cloudless morning, the kind of sparkling midwinter Saturday that looks a lot better than it actually feels.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama