icily

adv — 2 senses

icily

adv

UK, US /ˈaɪ.sɪ.li/

Etymology From icy + -ly.

1

In the manner of ice; with a cold or chilling effect.

  • The cold Alpine air flowed icily into his car, so he stopped by the roadside to put on a leather trench-coat, thick scarf, and woollen hat[…]1971, Alan Sillitoe, Travels in Nihilon, page 76:
2

Figuratively In an uncaring or coolly angry manner.

  • […]quite often her husband and Jo did not eat at home, or sat icily silent through a meal.1943, M. F. K. Fisher, “To Feed Such Hunger”, in The Gastronomical Me:
  • Bond had pulled her head back by her hair and had kissed her once, long and cruelly. Then he had told her to go to sleep and had leant back and waited icily for his body to leave him alone.1957, Ian Fleming, chapter 22, in From Russia With Love:
1 more example
  • "So I was made to look the fool?" Jason said icily.1958, A.G. Yates, The Cold Dark Hours, Sydney: Horwitz, published 1963, page 164:
Synonyms
coldly, aloofly
Related terms
ice, iciness, icy

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.