cold

cold — 形容詞

1. noticeably colder than what a person finds comfortable — used for weather, food,

1.形容詞A1
釋義

冷的

溫度明顯低於常溫的

noticeably colder than what a person finds comfortable — used for weather, food, drinks, objects, and parts of the body.

例句

The water in the lake was too cold for swimming.

湖水太冷了,不適合游泳。

collocation: cold water / cold weather

Ravi put on a woollen hat because the wind felt cold.

Ravi 戴上了毛帽,因為風吹起來很冷。

同義詞
  • chilly

    unpleasantly cold, but less intense than cold; e.g. a chilly autumn morning

  • cool

    pleasantly low in temperature; mild rather than uncomfortable

  • freezing

    extremely cold, at or below the point where water turns to ice

  • icy

    very cold, often with ice present; e.g. icy roads, icy wind

反義詞
  • hot

    at a high temperature

  • warm

    pleasantly high in temperature

文法句型

be/get/feel/grow/turn + cold

cold + noun

用法筆記

Commonly used after linking verbs: be/get/feel/turn/grow cold. For food and drinks that are served at a low temperature on purpose (e.g. cold beer, cold noodles), use iced or chilled for emphasis on 'intentionally served cold' vs. 'has lost its heat.'

常見錯誤

The weather is cold in spring (25°C).
The weather is cool in spring (25°C).
💡'cold' means uncomfortably low; 'cool' means pleasantly low but not hot.
I am cold of the weather.
I feel cold because of the weather.
💡'cold' after a person uses feel/be/get, not 'of.'

2. behaving toward others in a way that shows no warmth, kindness, or friendly feel

2.形容詞B1
釋義

冷淡的

冷漠不友善的態度或語氣

behaving toward others in a way that shows no warmth, kindness, or friendly feeling — used of a person's manner, voice, expression, or the atmosphere in a room or relationship.

例句

The new manager gave the team a cold stare when they arrived late.

新主管在團隊遲到時給了他們一個冷漠的眼神。

collocation: cold stare / cold look / cold voice

Yusuf tried to start a conversation, but the receptionist remained cold and distant.

Yusuf 想開啟話題,但櫃檯人員態度冷淡而有距離感。

同義詞
  • unfriendly

    direct synonym; not showing friendliness

  • distant

    emotionally removed, not engaging with others

  • chilly

    less intense than cold; a chilly response is cool but not openly hostile

  • icy

    very cold and hostile; stronger intensity than cold

反義詞
  • warm

    friendly and kind toward others

  • friendly

    showing kindness and openness

文法句型

be + cold + to/toward + noun

cold + noun (stare/voice/response/welcome)

用法筆記

Unlike sense 1 (LOW TEMPERATURE), this sense only applies to people, their behaviour, words, looks, or the mood of a situation — not to physical objects or weather. Distinguish from sense 1 by checking whether the subject is a person or an abstract quality.

常見錯誤

The water is cold.' (intending 'unfriendly')
The water is cold.
💡'cold' for unfriendliness only describes people, behaviour, looks, or atmosphere, not physical objects.
He was cold with me.
He was cold to me.' or 'He was cold toward me.
💡the preposition is 'to' or 'toward', not 'with.'

3. describing a criminal investigation that remains open after years with no progre

3.形容詞C1
釋義

未破的

(刑事案件)長期未偵破的

describing a criminal investigation that remains open after years with no progress, making it unlikely that the case will ever be closed.

例句

The detective still works on cold cases from twenty years ago.

那位偵探仍在調查二十年前的未破案件。

collocation: cold case

A cold murder case was reopened after a witness came forward with new information.

一名證人出面提供新資訊後,這樁未破的謀殺案重新展開調查。

同義詞
  • unsolved

    broader term; any problem or mystery that has not been solved

文法句型

cold + noun (case/murder/investigation/file)

用法筆記

Only used attributively before a noun (cold case, cold file, cold investigation). Cannot be used predicatively: 'The case is cold' is acceptable in informal police jargon, but learners should stick to attributive use.

常見錯誤

The weather is a cold case.' (mixing temperature sense with crime sense)
The murder investigation became a cold case after ten years with no leads.
💡this sense is restricted to criminal investigations, not general situations.

4. situation in a guessing game where the player is far from the solution they are

4.形容詞B1
釋義

不接近

(猜謎遊戲中)離答案或目標很遠

situation in a guessing game where the player is far from the solution they are hunting for — used as a clue to guide the seeker.

例句

In the treasure hunt the children were told they were cold.

在尋寶遊戲中,孩子們被告知他們離目標還很遠。

When the player is cold the hidden object is far from their guess.

當玩家離目標很遠時,隱藏物品距離他們猜測的位置還差得很遠。

game rule: 'cold' = far from answer; 'hot' = close

同義詞
  • far off

    informal; not close to the correct answer in a game or search

反義詞
  • hot

    very close to the answer or hiding place in a game

文法句型

be + cold

you're getting colder

用法筆記

Used exclusively in children's guessing games and some detective-style activities. The opposite is hot (very close). Learners often encounter this in the expression 'you're getting warmer' vs. 'you're getting colder.'

常見錯誤

I feel cold about the exam answer.' (intending the game sense)
In the game, the seeker is cold when the hiding spot is far away.
💡this sense only works in the game context, not for expressing uncertainty about real life.
The answer is cold.
You are cold.
💡it is the person (player) who is cold, not the answer itself.

cold — 名詞

cold — 副詞