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Synonyms

cozy

American  
[koh-zee] / ˈkoʊ zi /
Rarely cozie, or cosy

adjective

cozier, coziest

  1. comfortable and snug.

    We live in a cozy little house with a small garden in the back.
    Synonyms:
    sheltered, homey, comfy, snug

  2. convenient or beneficial, usually as a result of dishonesty or connivance.

    A very cozy agreement between competing firms had kept the industry profitable for years.

  3. suggesting opportunistic or conspiratorial intimacy.

    The exposé revealed a cozy relationship between lobbyists and some politicians.

  4. discreetly reticent or noncommittal.

    The administrators are remaining cozy about which policy they plan to adopt.

  5. relating to a genre of mystery stories with little suspense, explicit violence, or sexual content, often also having amateur sleuths and idyllic, intimate settings.

    I read lots of different books, but I like cozy mysteries best.

    Charming characters and just the right amount of danger make this cozy series a delight to read.

noun

plural

cozies

  1. a padded covering for a teapot or coffeepot to retain the heat of the contents.

  2. a mystery story with little suspense, explicit violence, or sexual content, often also having amateur sleuths and idyllic, intimate settings.

    I started out reading cozies and moved on to the hard-boiled detective novels.

verb (used with object)

cozied, cozying

  1. to make more warm or comfortable (often followed byup ).

    New curtains would cozy the room up a bit.

verb phrase

  1. cozy up (to)

    1. to move closer for comfort or affection.

      Come over to the fire and cozy up a bit.

    2. to try to become friendly or intimate in order to further one's own ends; attempt to ingratiate oneself.

      He's always cozying up to the boss.
cozy British  
/ ˈkəʊzɪ /

adjective

  1. the usual US spelling of cosy

"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

Other Word Forms

  • cozily adverb
  • coziness noun

Etymology

Origin of cozy

First recorded in 1700–10; from Scots colsie, perhaps from Scandinavian; compare Norwegian koselig “cozy,” kose seg “to enjoy oneself”

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.