Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

coldly

/ˈkoʊldli/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.69 in modern English

Syllables: cold-ly
IPA: /ˈkoʊldli/

12

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

adv

In a cold or uncaring manner; indifferently.

Example Sentences

"'He is a mighty handsome man!' 'I don't think so,' said Tess coldly."
"Fritz Lang in Hollywood has remade the French "La Bête Humaine" story, setting the drama, a little coldly, among the great hooting diesels of the Middle West routes, […]."

Etymology

From Middle English coldliche, caldeliche, perhaps borrowed from Old Norse kaldliga (“coldly”); equivalent to cold + -ly. Displaced Middle English colde (“coldly”), from Old English cealde (“coldly”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: coldliche, kaldliga
Suffix: cold

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈkoʊldli/
British English: /ˈkəʊldli/

Inflected Forms

more coldly (comparative) most coldly (superlative)

Rhymes With

boldly

Questions

How do you pronounce coldly?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkoʊldli/.
What does coldly mean?: In a cold or uncaring manner; indifferently.
Where does coldly come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce coldly

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “coldly”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkoʊldli/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “coldly”.
Repeat and practice — Say “coldly” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.