Coolness Meaning
/ˈkuːlnəs/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounModerate chilliness.
nounCalmness, confidence, or level-headedness.
Sentence Examples
His coolness has alienated his friends.
We felt the coolness when we arrived at the river.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
His ____ under pressure earned him respect from the entire team.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
His ____ has alienated his friends.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English colnes, colnesse, from Old English cōlnes, cœ̄lnes, cēlnes (“coolness; cool air, breeze”), from Proto-West Germanic *kōlinassī, equivalent to cool + -ness. Cognate with Middle High German kuolnisse, küelnisse (“cooling, coolness”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"I know a place of all sweet coolnesses; / a little island, like an emerald, set / in the clear argent of a river, that is / Itself a shining net"
— 1883, Emily Sullivan Oakey, In the Heat., in At the Foot of Parnassus, page 97:
"Surely there is between human kind and trees a kinship immemorial, antedating the fret and fever of the nerves, bringing old coolnesses to serve as refuge, making us know the time when spring was no torment, autumn no regret."
— 1917, Margaret Pollock Sherwood, “The Comradship of Trees”, in Familiar Ways, section III, page 135:
"De Coude was the personification of coolness—was he not the best shot in France?"
— 1913 June–December, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “A Duel”, in The Return of Tarzan, New York, N.Y.: A[lbert] L[evi] Burt Company, […], published March 1915, →OCLC, page 78:
"Luckily for England, they have a world-class striker with a golden touch in [Harry] Kane, who was coolness personified to carefully direct in the winner."
— 2018 June 18, Phil McNulty, “Tunisia 1 – 2 England”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 21 Apr 2019:
"In the midst of enemies, Irish and English, Court treacheries and coolnesses, Strafford depended solely upon Laud, and no one other support."
— 1892, James Bowling Mozley, “Archbishop Laud.”, in Essays, Historical and Theological, volume 1, page 201:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
His ____ under pressure earned him respect from the entire team.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
His ____ has alienated his friends.