lạnh ngắt
Definition
- Adjective:
- Extremely cold, icy cold: Describes a temperature or physical sensation that is intensely and piercingly cold, often to the point of being numbing or lifeless.
- Deathly cold, chilling: Describes a coldness associated with death, absence of warmth, or a profound lack of emotion, creating a grim or desolate atmosphere.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- Đôi bàn tay cô ấy lạnh ngắt. (Her hands were icy cold.)
- Căn phòng trống hoác và lạnh ngắt. (The empty room was deathly cold.)
- Giọng nói của anh ta lạnh ngắt, không một chút cảm xúc. (His voice was chilling, without a trace of emotion.)
Advanced Usage
- Used metaphorically to describe emotional states, atmospheres, or tones that are profoundly cold, unwelcoming, or devoid of feeling.
- Một cái nhìn lạnh ngắt (An icy stare)
- Sự im lặng lạnh ngắt (A chilling silence)
Variants and Related Words
- Lạnh (adj): Cold. The root word, indicating a lower temperature.
- Lạnh lẽo (adj): Cold and dreary, desolate. Often describes places or atmospheres.
- Lạnh buốt (adj): Bitingly cold, cold that pierces. Emphasizes the penetrating sensation.
Synonyms
- Freezing: Very cold, at or below freezing point.
- Icy: Very cold like ice; also metaphorically cold in manner.
- Gelid: A formal synonym meaning very cold, icy.
- Chilly: Cold enough to cause discomfort; can also describe an unfriendly manner.
Related Idioms
- Lạnh ngắt như tiền (As cold as cash/coins): An idiom describing something or someone as being emotionally cold, impersonal, or purely transactional.
- Lạnh ngắt xương sống (A chill down the spine): Describes a sudden, intense feeling of cold fear or dread.