Frosty
/ˈfrɒsti/
Definitions
2 meaningsCovered or affected by frost.
/ˈfrɒsti/
Covered with frost
The windshield was frosty, so I had to scrape the ice off.
💡 Simply: Imagine waking up on a winter morning, and everything outside is covered in a sparkly, white layer. That's a frosty scene! It's like a magic blanket of ice crystals.
👶 For kids: When it's really cold outside and water turns into tiny, sparkly ice on things, like grass, it's called frosty!
More Examples
A frosty landscape greeted us at sunrise.
The frosty air nipped at my cheeks.
How It's Used
"The frosty morning air made my breath visible."
"The garden was frosty after the cold night."
Cold and unfriendly; reserved.
/ˈfrɒsti/
Cold and unfriendly
Their conversation was marked by a frosty silence.
💡 Simply: Imagine someone giving you the cold shoulder, like they are trying to freeze you out with their attitude. That person is being frosty, and it means they are not being warm or friendly.
👶 For kids: When someone is being super unfriendly, like they're giving you a cold stare, they're being frosty!
More Examples
The frosty relationship between the two countries worsened.
She gave him a frosty look when he approached her.
How It's Used
"Her frosty reception made him feel unwelcome."
"The queen's frosty gaze silenced the court."
Idioms & expressions
frost on the pumpkin
A sign that autumn or winter has arrived; or that things are as they should be. It can also be used figuratively to mean a sign that a good or happy time has come.
"With the first frost on the pumpkin, we know it's time for apple cider and hayrides."
From Middle English *frosty, from Old English *frōstig (akin to Old High German frostig), from *frost 'frost'.
The word 'frosty' has been used since the early 14th century, initially to describe something covered in or related to frost. Its use to describe cold or unfriendly behavior developed later.
Memory tip
Think of the frozen ground after a cold night – frosty!
Word Origin
"belonging to frost"