What does coolness mean?
Coolness is a noun describing the quality of being cool, and it carries three main strands of meaning. Most literally, it refers to a moderately low or refreshing temperature, as in the coolness of a breeze or a shaded room. Figuratively, it denotes calm self-possession and composure under pressure, a sense closely tied to the modern idea of being "cool" in the stylistic sense: attractive, confident, and effortlessly unruffled. Finally, it can describe emotional distance or a loss of warmth between people, so that a "coolness in their friendship" signals estrangement rather than poise. The word derives from the adjective cool, which traces back through Old English cōl to a Germanic root. Because its connotations range from pleasant refreshment to admired restraint to outright unfriendliness, context determines whether coolness reads as positive, neutral, or negative.
nounThe quality or state of being cool, whether in temperature, in manner (calm composure), or in fashionable attractiveness. It can also refer to a coolness of feeling between people, i.e. emotional distance or diminished affection.
- A moderately low temperature or the quality of being pleasantly cool.
- Calm self-possession; composure under pressure.
- Fashionable attractiveness or stylish detachment.
- Emotional distance or unfriendliness between people.
"She greeted her former ally with a certain coolness that made the tension unmistakable."
"The coolness of the mountain air was a relief after the humid valley."
"He answered every hostile question with unshakable coolness."
Technically valid but very rarely used; writers normally treat coolness as an uncountable noun.
"The diary records the various coolnesses that developed within the family over the years."
"Cool" as an attitude of stylish detachment entered English slang from African-American vernacular in the mid-20th century — and coolness is simply that attitude turned into a noun.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of coolness
Coolness is formed from the Old English adjective cōl ("cool, cold"), from Proto-Germanic *kōlaz, with cognates such as Dutch koel and German kühl. As a noun, it originally denoted low temperature and, by extension, figurative calmness and composure. The modern association with stylish detachment grew out of 20th-century jazz and popular culture, where "cool" came to signify effortless confidence.
Related word forms
How coolness is actually used
The plural 'coolnesses' is rare and generally avoided; the word is almost always used as an abstract mass noun. The temperature sense is neutral, while the interpersonal sense often carries a negative connotation of coldness or estrangement.
Easily confused with coolness
Closeness means intimacy or nearness, nearly the opposite of the emotional-distance sense of coolness; they share only a similar ending.