Phrase guide

cold comfort

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

Much less reassurance, consolation, aid, or pleasure than one needs or desires.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, idiomatic, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

very limited consolation or empathy

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he told me that time heals all wounds but that was cold comfort to me

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: consolation, solace, solacement

History

Etymology

Popularized by William Shakespeare in The Taming of the Shrew, see quotations.

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 不起作用的安慰 (bù qǐ zuòyòng de ānwèi) — much less reassurance, consolation, aid, or pleasure than one needs or desires
  • Finnish: laiha lohtu — much less reassurance, consolation, aid, or pleasure than one needs or desires
  • German: schwacher Trost — much less reassurance, consolation, aid, or pleasure than one needs or desires
  • Hungarian: sovány vigasz — much less reassurance, consolation, aid, or pleasure than one needs or desires
  • Irish: brachán ó aréir — much less reassurance, consolation, aid, or pleasure than one needs or desires
  • Russian: сла́бое утеше́ние (sláboje utešénije) — much less reassurance, consolation, aid, or pleasure than one needs or desires
  • Swedish: en klen tröst — much less reassurance, consolation, aid, or pleasure than one needs or desires
  • Welsh: cysur bach — much less reassurance, consolation, aid, or pleasure than one needs or desires