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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in dismissal
treatment that is deliberately unfriendly
at the party the two former friends consciously gave each other the cold shoulder
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of cold-shoulder
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
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
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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
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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
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But the Trump administration said Maddox instead should’ve taken his cue from the Supreme Court’s May decision allowing the president to fire Democratic members of two federal labor boards while the former members challenge their dismissals.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
24 July 2025
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Right now, all Broward students are prohibited from using their cellphones from the morning bell until dismissal, under a policy the School Board passed last year in hopes of improving mental health and academics among students.—
Scott Travis,
Sun Sentinel,
24 July 2025
Verb
-
Just this week, The Late Show scored yet another Emmy nomination (even as the TV Academy snubbed late night’s most promising debut in ages: Netflix’s Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney).—
Judy Berman,
Time,
18 July 2025
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The Hollywood Reporter, The Los Angeles Times and Gold Derby’s picks for nominees for the Outstanding Drama Series are the same as Variety’s predictions, but Variety is predicting that Paradise will earn a nomination in the category and Squid Game will get snubbed.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Noun
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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
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If anyone else tries such commands, the AGI and ASI reject them summarily.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
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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
Verb
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And for the legions of blue-collar stiffs just like him.—
Donna Vickroy,
Chicago Tribune,
11 July 2025
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The boar bristles are bendy to move with hair but still stiff enough to detangle knots.—
Olivia Cigliano,
Footwear News,
12 June 2025
Verb
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The Oak Ridge Boys, Reba McEntire, Jeannie C. Riley, Connie Smith and the duo of Charlie Louvin and Melba Montgomery were among the acts who cut her songs.—
Marcus K. Dowling,
The Tennessean,
22 July 2025
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The National Endowment for the Humanities cut the grant this spring.—
Kelly Meyerhofer,
jsonline.com,
22 July 2025
Verb
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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
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Despite Meg’s efforts to connect, Ellen (Kyra Sedgwick) repeatedly slights her future daughter-in-law.—
Natalia Winkelman,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cold-shoulder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cold-shoulder. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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