COLD-SHOULDERED Synonyms: 23 Similar Words

cold-shouldered

verb

past tense of cold-shoulder

as in isolated

to deliberately ignore or treat rudely cold-shouldered by his old friends after his family had lost all of its money

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of cold-shouldered Over the next half decade, Biden cold-shouldered the Turkish government. — Kaya Genç, The Dial, 3 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cold-shouldered

Verb

The bond market’s problems are hardly isolated to the United States.

— David Goldman, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
The death toll has sparked widespread condemnation from global leaders and from human rights organizations, causing Israel to become increasingly isolated on the international stage.

— David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of isolated

Verb

Their case was previously rejected by the district court and appeals court.

— David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 6 Oct. 2026
Meta, a week ago, rejected, then reversed course on an ad for Alex Gibney’s doc takedown Musk, and now a studio is about to weigh in on Meta.

— Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of rejected

Verb

At one point, McLoughlin even snubbed Sylvester Stallone, another Kennedy Center Honoree who had wandered into the bar.

— Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 5 Oct. 2026
Industry opposition already watered down one anti-smuggling bill, Bloomberg noted, and Huang recently snubbed a congressional invitation to testify on the problem.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of snubbed

Verb

The other four QBs peaked inside the top 10 last season, so they’ve all been slighted to a degree with the initial rankings of 2026.

— Jeff Howe, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
But after reaching All-Star status for the first time in his career, after keeping the Heat afloat through the first half of last season while Herro was sidelined, Norman Powell need offer no apology for feeling slighted.

— Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of slighted

Verb

For decades, the European Union has led the world in implementing policies designed to cut emissions, creating the world’s most important price on carbon and crafting the rules of the road for a wide range of regulatory efforts.

— Justin Worland, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
Staff cut raw chicken and then proceeded to cut lamb without washing, rinsing and sanitizing cutting boards and prep tables.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of cut

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cold shoulder

cold-shouldered

cold-shouldering

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“Cold-shouldered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cold-shouldered. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of cold-shouldered

verb

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