Words for Different Levels of “Cold”: From Cool to Frigid

“It’s cold” is one of the first things we learn to say in English, and it’s easy to keep using it for everything. But a cool evening, a freezing night and a bitter wind are very different experiences, and native speakers choose different words for each one. This post walks through six words for “cold”, from the mildest to the most extreme, so you can say exactly how cold it feels.

The ladder at a glance

1. cool

UK /kuːl/ · US /kul/ · adjective

Meaning: A little cold, in a way that is usually pleasant.

Examples

• It's a cool evening, so bring a light jacket.
• I sleep better in a cool room.

Synonyms: fresh, crisp, refreshing Opposites: warm, hot

Tip: Cool is mild and often positive, especially after a hot day. Don't confuse it with the slang meaning of cool ("great"), which has nothing to do with temperature.

2. brisk

UK /brɪsk/ · US /brɪsk/ · adjective

Meaning: Cold and fresh in a way that feels energising.

Examples

• We went for a walk on a brisk autumn morning.
• A brisk wind was blowing off the sea.

Synonyms: crisp, fresh, invigorating Opposites: warm, muggy

Tip: Brisk usually has a positive tone. It's common with walk, morning, wind and air.

3. chilly

UK /ˈtʃɪli/ · US /ˈtʃɪli/ · adjective

Meaning: Cold enough to feel uncomfortable.

Examples

• It's a bit chilly in here. Can we close the window?
• The nights get chilly in winter.

Synonyms: cold, cool Opposites: warm, mild

Tip: Chilly is the everyday word for "I'd like a jumper". It's informal and very common in conversation.

4. freezing

UK /ˈfriːzɪŋ/ · US /ˈfrizɪŋ/ · adjective

Meaning: Extremely cold, at or below 0°C, or feeling that way.

Examples

• I'm freezing! Can we turn the heating on?
• It was freezing outside, well below zero.

Synonyms: icy, frozen, arctic Opposites: boiling, scorching

Tip: In casual speech, people use freezing to exaggerate ("It's freezing in here!") even when it isn't below zero.

5. bitter

UK /ˈbɪtə/ · US /ˈbɪt̬ɚ/ · adjective

Meaning: Painfully, harshly cold, often with strong wind.

Examples

• A bitter wind swept across the car park.
• It was a bitter winter night.

Synonyms: biting, piercing, raw Opposites: mild, balmy

Tip: Bitter often describes wind, weather and winters. It's common in news and weather reports. (It also means "having a sharp, unpleasant taste", so check the context.)

6. frigid

UK /ˈfrɪdʒɪd/ · US /ˈfrɪdʒɪd/ · adjective

Meaning: Extremely and severely cold.

Examples

• The frigid air made it hard to breathe.
• Penguins live in the frigid waters of Antarctica.

Synonyms: glacial, arctic, freezing Opposites: scorching, sweltering

Tip: Frigid is more formal and is common in writing, news and travel. It can also describe an unfriendly manner ("a frigid stare"), but here we're focusing on temperature.

Same sentence, six levels

Try this sentence frame: "It was a ___ morning."

• It was a cool morning. (pleasantly cold)
• It was a brisk morning. (cold and fresh)
• It was a chilly morning. (uncomfortably cold)
• It was a freezing morning. (at or below zero)
• It was a bitter morning. (harsh, painful cold)
• It was a frigid morning. (extremely cold)

Same sentence, but each word paints a different picture.

How to remember them

Reading a list once isn't enough. Spaced repetition helps by showing you each word again just before you'd forget it, so the words move into your long-term memory. In Mem-App, you rate each word Easy, Good, Hard or Forgot, and the next review adapts to you.

1. Look up each word in Mem-App's built-in dictionary to see definitions, examples, synonyms, opposites and US/UK pronunciation.
2. Add the words to your list.
3. Review them when they're due and rate each one Easy, Good, Hard or Forgot.

Try it free

I'm a solo developer, and I built Mem-App to make learning real-world vocabulary simple. It's free to start: the Starter plan includes up to 50 words and 5 new words a day, with no ads. You can install it from your browser on Android, iPhone and iPad, Mac and Windows, with no app store needed. Try it at mem-app.com.

Which word should we explore next: bad, big, happy, tired? Let me know!

This is part of the series “Words for different levels of…”.