cool
Pronunciation: (kl), [key]
— adj., adv., n., v. -er, -est,
—adj.
- moderately cold; neither warm nor cold: a rather cool evening.
- feeling comfortably or moderately cold: I'm perfectly cool, but open the window if you feel hot.
- imparting a sensation of moderate coldness or comfortable freedom from heat: a cool breeze.
- permitting such a sensation: a cool dress.
- not excited; calm; composed; under control: to remain cool in the face of disaster.
- not hasty; deliberate: a cool and calculated action.
- lacking in interest or enthusiasm: a cool reply to an invitation.
- lacking in warmth or cordiality: a cool reception.
- calmly audacious or impudent: a cool lie.
- aloof or unresponsive; indifferent: He was cool to her passionate advances.
- unaffected by emotions; disinterested; dispassionate: She made a cool appraisal of all the issues in the dispute.
- (of a number or sum) without exaggeration or qualification: a cool million dollars.
- (of colors) with green, blue, or violet predominating.
- a real cool comic.
- great; fine; excellent:a real cool comic.
- characterized by great facility; highly skilled or clever:cool maneuvers on the parallel bars.
- socially adept:It's not cool to arrive at a party too early.
—adv.
- coolly.
—n.
- something that is cool; a cool part, place, time, etc.: in the cool of the evening.
- coolness.
- calmness; composure; poise: an executive noted for maintaining her cool under pressure.
- See (def. 34).
—v.i.
- to become cool (sometimes fol. by down or off): The soup cooled in five minutes. We cooled off in the mountain stream.
- to become less ardent, cordial, etc.; become moderate.
—v.t.
- to make cool; impart a sensation of coolness to.
- to lessen the ardor or intensity of; allay; calm; moderate: Disappointment cooled his early zealousness.
- to bring the body back to its normal physiological level after fast, vigorous exercise or activity by gradually slowing the pace of activity or by doing gentle exercises or stretches.
- calm down; take it easy.
- to become calmer or more reasonable: Wait until he cools off before you talk to him again.
- See (def. 18).
- to calm or settle down; relax: cooling out at the beach.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.