Idiom
cold comfort
Meaning
Much less reassurance, consolation, aid, or pleasure than one needs or desires.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“His apology was cold comfort after he broke my favorite vase.”
“A warm blanket is cold comfort when you are hungry.”
“The company offered a small refund, but it was cold comfort to the customers who lost their entire savings.”
“Knowing that other people also failed the exam was cold comfort when I realized I had to pay for the entire course again.”
“The landlord promised to fix the heater next week, which was cold comfort to the family sleeping in a freezing apartment tonight.”
“While the judge acknowledged the victim's suffering, the modest financial settlement provided only cold comfort for the years of hardship she had endured.”
Examples
simple
“His apology was cold comfort after he broke my favorite vase.”
“A warm blanket is cold comfort when you are hungry.”
contextual
“The company offered a small refund, but it was cold comfort to the customers who lost their entire savings.”
“Knowing that other people also failed the exam was cold comfort when I realized I had to pay for the entire course again.”
“The landlord promised to fix the heater next week, which was cold comfort to the family sleeping in a freezing apartment tonight.”
complex
“While the judge acknowledged the victim's suffering, the modest financial settlement provided only cold comfort for the years of hardship she had endured.”
Origin
William Shakespeare popularized the expression in the late 16th century, most notably in *The Taming of the Shrew*. The phrase appears in the play as a description of a cold and unwelcome reception, though the components of the idiom existed in Middle English prior to his usage. Shakespeare’s inclusion ensured the term remained a standard English fixture for a consolation that offers no actual relief.
Key words
Related idioms
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