I. ˈkül adjective
( -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English cole, from Old English cōl; akin to Old High German kuoli cool, Old English calan to get cold, cald, ceald cold — more at cold
1.
a. : moderately cold : between tepid and chill : lacking in warmth
a cool wind
water a little too cool for swimming
preferred to drink coffee when it was cool rather than hot
b. : chilly
shivering in the cool air of the evening
c. : having refrigeration facilities : under refrigeration
2.
a. : unaffected by passion, agitation, alarm, perturbation, unsteadying tension : showing calmness, steadiness, impassiveness, resolution, or control
“never shoot in a passion”, the excellent advice went on; “only a cool hand is steady” — Joseph Hergesheimer
he was very cool outwardly, but was nervous all the same — Bram Stoker
b. : free from excitement, strong feeling, passion, or confusion : marked by deliberate judgment and temperate moderation
the heated personal disputes … gave way to cool negotiations — G.B.Shaw
c. : experienced , sophisticated
3. : lacking ardor, enthusiasm, warmth, friendliness, or affability : unresponsive and apathetic or unfriendly and antagonistic
he received a very cool reception
“a pity you take on so … ”, the young lady said, with a cool , slightly sarcastic air — W.M.Thackeray
4. of a scent : weak , faint
the trail of the fox is cool
5.
a. : as indicated : certain , positive : not scant or bare : whole , full
a cool million in gambling debts
b. : gained, lost, executed, or reckoned calmly or deliberately without excitement or fuss
he made a cool $100,000 by his investment schemes
6. : marked by deliberate unabashed effrontery, presumption, or lack of due deference, respect, or discretion
a cool reply
a cool pleasure in stripping the Indians of their horses or silver or blankets — Willa Cather
7.
a. : facilitating or suggesting pleasurable sensations of comfort or ease at relief from heat
a cool dress
a cool air-conditioned room
the cool beauty of freshwater lakes — American Guide Series: Michigan
b. : marked by lack of fervor, dash, or excitement : restful , unemotional , studied
simple cool clear prose
cool jazz
sweet cool paintings that are more refreshing than stimulating — Time
c. of a color : producing an impression of coolness ; specifically : of a hue in the range violet through blue to green
d. of a musical tone : relatively lacking in timbre or resonance
8. slang : great , excellent ; especially : showing a mastery of the latest in approved technique and style
as an actor he's real cool
a cool performance
Synonyms:
composed , collected , unruffled , imperturbable , nonchalant : cool implies general self-control uninfluenced by excitement or emotion
my work, I am often told, is cool and serene, entirely reasonable and free of passion — Havelock Ellis
this wonder, that when near her he should be cool and composed, and when away from her wrapped in a tempest of desires — George Meredith
It may also imply calm courage, deliberateness, effrontery, or indifference
cool and deliberate, he gave his orders in a voice devoid of alarm — J.J.Floherty
the sudden change in her voice, from cool imperial arrogance to terrified pleading — Robert Graves
composed refers to absence of indications of agitation or tension
she was composed without bravado — Agnes Repplier
did he appear … composed, or was he agitated and alarmed — C.B.Nordhoff & J.N.Hall
collected implies a concentration of faculties to avoid or overcome distraction
they did not look very unhappy, though Mrs. Hawthorne wore her collected Sunday expression — Archibald Marshall
unruffled implies an accustomed calmness even in exciting situations
on the one hand, feeling at its keenest edge and highest tension; on the other the low, placid, unruffled level of our normal moods — J.L.Lowes
the familiar estate of marriage was preserved in the unruffled calm of their bedroom as in an embalming fluid — Ellen Glasgow
imperturbable implies extreme and accustomed calm, rendering one unlikely to be disconcerted, disturbed, or alarmed
Irving, the pleasure-loving, genial, imperturbable traveler and gentle hedonist — Saxe Commins
at her side sat a rosy-cheeked imperturbable nurse in a stiff white uniform — W.H.Wright
nonchalant suggests easy casualness and an appearance of detached indifference or carefreeness
at the back [of the ambulance], haughty in white uniform, nonchalant on a narrow seat was The Doctor — Sinclair Lewis
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English colen, from Old English cōlian to become cool, from cōl cool
intransitive verb
1. : to become cool : lose heat or warmth : lose some characteristic likened to heat (as force or activity)
the summer cooled into autumn — Arnold Bennett
the material exposed to radiation was left alone to cool for a long time
— sometimes used with off or down
cooling off in the evening breezes
2.
a. : to lose ardor or passion : to become less fervent, zealous, impassioned, angry, or affectionate : lose intensity : moderate
his anger cooled
— often used with off or down
give those hotheads a chance to cool off — L.C.Douglas
b. : to lose enthusiasm or interest and to become tepid, indifferent, suspicious, or inimical — used with on, to, or toward
its main backers have cooled on the project
c. : to become less hot : allow enough time to pass for a lessening of the police's efforts to capture one — usually used with off
hiding out to cool off
transitive verb
1.
a. : to impart a feeling of coolness or cold to ; often : to refresh by countering the effects of heat
the breeze cooled them
— often used with off or down
a swim cooled us off a little
b. : to make less hot or warm : cause loss of heat in : reduce in temperature often to a satisfactory or pleasurable point
cool the milk before storing it
cool the vegetables with refrigeration
an engine cooled with water
cool the room with a fan
cool the emotions and restore peace — New York Times
— sometimes used with off or down
the agitation was cooled down — J.A.Froude
2. : to moderate the heat or excitement of : allay
cool her growing anger
: moderate , calm
3.
a. : to check decisively : rob of force or effectiveness : stop
b. : to knock out ; also : kill
the gangsters cooled him for squealing
•
- cool one's heels
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English cole, from cole, adjective
1. : a cool time, place, occasion, or situation
the cool of evening
2. : coolness
IV. adverb
Etymology: cool (I)
: in a cool manner : coolly
play it cool
V. adjective
: employing understatement and a minimum of detail to convey information and usually requiring the listener, viewer, or reader to complete the message
another indication of the very cool … character of this medium — H.M.McLuhan
VI. verb
•
- cool it