It’s that time of year again where the weather outside can chill your bones and make you feel under the weather. The common cold is something that affects many of us during the winter months, but we’ve come up with some fun and unique slang words to describe this pesky illness.
While feeling sick is never a pleasant experience, using these slang terms can bring a lighthearted perspective to an otherwise uncomfortable situation. So, let’s embrace the slang words for cold and find some humor in an otherwise frustrating time.
20 slang words for cold
1. Chilly
- Meaning: (adjective) slightly cold or uncomfortably cool.
- Example: I’m feeling chilly, can you close the window?
- How to Use: Use this term to describe a situation that is slightly cold or uncomfortable.
2. Freezing
- Meaning: (adjective) extremely cold.
- Example: It’s freezing outside, I need to wear my coat.
- How to Use: Use this term to describe a situation that is extremely cold.
3. Nippy
- Meaning: (adjective) uncomfortably cold.
- Example: The water in the pool is a bit nippy.
- How to Use: Use this term to describe a situation that is uncomfortably cold, but not necessarily freezing.
4. Cool
- Meaning: (adjective) slightly cold or refreshing.
- Example: The breeze from the fan feels cool.
- How to Use: Use this term to describe a situation that is slightly cold and refreshing.
5. Frosty
- Meaning: (adjective) extremely cold, often with frost.
- Example: The windshield was frosty this morning.
- How to Use: Use this term to describe a situation that is extremely cold, often with frost forming.
6. Brisk
- Meaning: (adjective) cool, refreshing, and invigorating.
- Example: The brisk air woke me up.
- How to Use: Use this term to describe a situation that is cool, refreshing, and invigorating.
7. Icy
- Meaning: (adjective) very cold and with a lot of ice.
- Example: The roads are icy, be careful when driving.
- How to Use: Use this term to describe a situation that is very cold and has a lot of ice.
8. Frigid
- Meaning: (adjective) extremely cold, often to the point of being unbearable.
- Example: The water in the lake was frigid.
- How to Use: Use this term to describe a situation that is extremely cold, often to the point of being unbearable.
9. Bitter
- Meaning: (adjective) extremely cold, often with a sharp and unpleasant quality.
- Example: The bitter wind made it feel even colder.
- How to Use: Use this term to describe a situation that is extremely cold, often with a sharp and unpleasant quality.
10. Chilled
- Meaning: (adjective) cooled to a low temperature, but not necessarily freezing.
- Example: The wine needs to be chilled before we can drink it.
- How to Use: Use this term to describe something that has been cooled to a low temperature, but not necessarily freezing.
11. Cold snap
- Meaning: (noun) a sudden and intense cold spell that may last for several days.
- Example: We’re in the midst of a cold snap and the temperatures are dropping rapidly.
- How to Use: Use this term to describe a sudden and intense cold spell that lasts for several days.
12. Gelid
- Meaning: (adjective) extremely cold, often to the point of being frozen.
- Example: The gelid waters of the Arctic were a shock to my system.
- How to Use: Use this term to describe a situation that is extremely cold, often to the point of being frozen.
13. Bracing
- Meaning: (adjective) cool, crisp, and invigorating.
- Example: The bracing air was a welcome relief from the stuffy room.
- How to Use: Use this term to describe a situation that is cool, crisp, refreshing, and invigorating.
14. Snappy
- Meaning: (adjective) cool, brisk, and refreshing.
- Example: The snappy weather put me in a good mood.
- How to Use: Use this term to describe a situation that is cool, brisk, and refreshing.
15. Raw
- Meaning: (adjective) chilly and unpleasant.
- Example: The raw conditions made it difficult to enjoy being outside.
- How to Use: Use this term to describe a situation that is chilly and unpleasant.
16. Cool as a cucumber
- Meaning: (idiom) to be calm and composed in a difficult situation.
- Example: He remained cool as a cucumber during the intense negotiation.
- How to Use: Use this term to describe someone who is calm and composed in a difficult situation, regardless of the temperature.
17. Cold as ice
- Meaning: (idiom) to be emotionless, unfeeling, or unyielding.
- Example: She glared at him, her eyes as cold as ice.
- How to Use: Use this term to describe someone who is emotionless, unfeeling or unyielding, regardless of the temperature.
18. Polar
- Meaning: (adjective) extremely cold, often to the point of being unbearable.
- Example: The polar conditions made it impossible to stay outside for more than a few minutes.
- How to Use: Use this term to describe a situation that is extremely cold, to the point of being unbearable.
19. Tundra
- Meaning: (noun) a vast, treeless, arctic region characterized by permafrost and extreme cold.
- Example: The tundra is home to many unique species adapted to the harsh living conditions.
- How to Use: Use this term to describe a vast and barren region in the arctic that is characterized by extreme cold.
20. Parky
- Meaning: (adjective) chilly, with a wind that is cold enough to make you feel uncomfortable.
- Example: The wind was parky outside, so I put on a sweater.
- How to Use: Use this term to describe a situation that is chilly, with a wind that is cold enough to make you feel uncomfortable.