If you describe something as icy or icy cold, you mean that it is extremely cold.
An icy wind blew hard across the open spaces.
His shoes and clothing were wet through and icy cold.
Synonyms: cold, freezing, bitter, biting More Synonyms of icy
2. adjective
An icy road has ice on it.
3. adjective
If you describe a person or their behaviour as icy, you mean that they are not affectionate or friendly, and they show their dislike or anger in a quiet, controlled way.
[disapproval]
His response was icy.
Synonyms: unfriendly, cold, distant, hostile More Synonyms of icy
icilyadverb [ADVERB after verb, ADVERB adjective]
'Have you finished?' he asked icily.
The prison official is icily polite and bureaucratic.
More Synonyms of icy
icy in British English
(ˈaɪsɪ)
adjectiveWord forms: icier or iciest
1.
made of, covered with, or containing ice
2.
resembling ice
3.
freezing or very cold
4.
cold or reserved in manner; aloof
icy in American English
(ˈaɪsi)
adjectiveWord forms: ˈicier or ˈiciest
1.
having much ice; full of or covered with ice
2.
of or like ice
; specif.,
a.
slippery
b.
very cold; frigid
3.
cold in manner or attitude; unfriendly
Word origin
ME isy < OE isig
Examples of 'icy' in a sentence
icy
Gravity eases me off the platform and an icy blast rushes against my cheeks.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
For most couples it blows icy winds right into the heart of their relationship.
The Sun (2017)
The icy conditions and thick dense mist could bring delays and disruption around the country during rush hour.
The Sun (2017)
An icy blast of rain on an otherwise bright January afternoon summed up the mood.
The Sun (2017)
The instructors will also teach you top winter driving tips for when you're in your own car on icy roads.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
As far south as Surrey, police tweeted warnings about icy conditions.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He said:'The pitch is hard and very icy.
The Sun (2016)
The icy blast of polar weather that swept in from Canada saw planes grounded, ferries hit and cars slithering off roads.
The Sun (2017)
Their first national campaign is timed to coincide with the wet and icy roads that winter brings.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The north and east are expected to bear the brunt of icy winds from the east.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Today will remain cold with icy patches first thing.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Hospitals overrun with victims of the icy conditions cancelled operations.
The Sun (2009)
Roads were too icy to reach many nearby hotels.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In spite of an icy wind the smoke still hung inside the plane.
Len Deighton Bomber
The icy cold tunnel through part of the mountain is the only scary bit.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
And they did so with an icy blast from their boss ringing in their ears.
The Sun (2010)
Four people were killed on icy roads and a woman died of exposure.
The Sun (2009)
An icy wind blows and the sky is dull grey.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It will be as cold and icy as the weather.
The Sun (2014)
Drivers are warned to prepare for icy roads all weekend.
The Sun (2015)
And it will be followed by an icy cold snap today as temperatures plummet.
The Sun (2014)
What we do know is that the road was cold, wet and probably icy.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Or anyone, if conditions are wet and icy.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Three people have died this week in the icy conditions of northern England.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The freak icy blast has been blamed for at least 16 deaths.
The Sun (2014)
The rain clouds had blown away under a strong, icy wind.
John Garth TOLKIEN AND THE GREAT WAR: The Threshold of Middle-earth (2003)
It allowed icy blasts of air to escape from the Arctic and make their way southwards.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
I usually find that people expect me to be really icy and hard.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
ARCTIC air has brought icy conditions that have probably come as a shock to some.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
A cheaper way to cope with icy conditions is snow socks.
The Sun (2011)
Too much sugar and it will become overly sweet and syrupy and too soft to freeze completely; too little, and it will be icy and hard.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
It was as if some hard icy pressure had melted, and her consciousness had room to expand: her past was come back to her with larger interpretation.
George Eliot Middlemarch (1872)
Word lists with
icy
Weather descriptions
In other languages
icy
British English: icy /ˈaɪsɪ/ ADJECTIVE
Icy air or water is extremely cold.
...an icy wind.
American English: icy
Arabic: جَلِيدِيٌّ
Brazilian Portuguese: gelado
Chinese: 结冰的
Croatian: leden
Czech: ledový
Danish: iskold
Dutch: ijzig
European Spanish: gélido
Finnish: jäinen
French: glacé
German: eisig
Greek: παγωμένος
Italian: ghiacciato
Japanese: 氷で覆われた
Korean: 얼음의
Norwegian: iset
Polish: lodowaty
European Portuguese: congelado
Romanian: rece ca gheața
Russian: ледяной
Latin American Spanish: gélido
Swedish: isig
Thai: เย็นจัด
Turkish: buzlu
Ukrainian: крижаний
Vietnamese: lạnh lẽo
Chinese translation of 'icy'
icy
(ˈaɪsɪ)
adj
[air, water, temperature]冰冷的 (bīnglěng de)
[road]结(結)冰的 (jiébīng de)
1 (adjective)
Definition
freezing or very cold
An icy wind blew across the moor.
Synonyms
cold
It was bitterly cold outside.
freezing
a freezing January afternoon
bitter
a night in the bitter cold
biting
a raw, biting northerly wind
raw
a raw December morning
chill
A chill wind was blowing.
chilling
arctic (informal)
The bathroom is positively arctic.
chilly
It was a chilly afternoon.
frosty
sharp, frosty nights
glacial
The air from the sea felt glacial.
ice-cold
a delicious ice-cold beverage
frozen over
frost-bound
parky (British, informal)
Opposites
hot
,
warm
,
boiling
,
blistering
,
sizzling
2 (adjective)
Definition
covered with ice
an icy road
Synonyms
slippery
The floor was wet and slippery.
glassy
glassy green pebbles
slippy (informal, dialect)
like a sheet of glass
rimy
3 (adjective)
Definition
cold or reserved in manner
Her response was icy.
Synonyms
unfriendly
She spoke in a loud, rather unfriendly voice.
cold
The president is likely to receive a cold reception when he speaks today.
distant
He's direct and courteous, but distant.
hostile
The Governor faced hostile crowds when visiting the town.
forbidding
There was something severe and forbidding about her face.
indifferent
People have become indifferent to the suffering of others.
aloof
He seemed aloof and detached.
stony
The stony look he was giving her made it hard to think.