Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Freezing terribly cold (of food or drink): Describes food or beverages that have become unpleasantly and completely cold, having lost all their original warmth. It emphasizes an extreme state of coldness that is often undesirable for consumption.
   • Completely cold and lifeless (figurative): Can describe an atmosphere, a relationship, or a situation that has become utterly cold, devoid of warmth, emotion, or activity.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Cà phê để lâu đã nguội ngắt. (The coffee left out for too long is freezing cold.)
  • Căn phòng trống trải và nguội ngắt. (The empty room was cold and lifeless.)
  • Bát canh giờ đã nguội ngắt, không thể ăn được. (The bowl of soup is now ice-cold and inedible.)

Advanced Usage

• Used to intensify the state of being cold beyond just "nguội" (cool/cold). It carries a negative connotation of something being spoiled or rendered unappealing due to excessive coldness.
• Can be used metaphorically to describe a complete lack of emotional warmth or enthusiasm.
  • Cuộc trò chuyện giữa họ trở nên nguội ngắt. (The conversation between them turned ice-cold.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nguội (adj): Cooled, cold (neutral or descriptive). (cold rice).
• Lạnh ngắt (adj): Bitingly cold, icy cold (often for weather or touch). (freezing weather).

Synonyms

• Ice-cold: Extremely cold, like ice.
• Stone-cold: Completely cold, often implying a loss of original heat.
• Gelid (literary): Very cold, icy.

Related Idioms

• Nguội tanh: An idiom with a very similar meaning to "nguội ngắt," describing something that has turned completely cold and often stale. It can also imply a situation that has fizzled out or become uninteresting.
  • Mối quan hệ đó giờ đã nguội tanh. (That relationship has now gone completely cold.)

1. Freezing terribly cold (of food)