coolness

noun

1. (uncountable, usually)Moderate chilliness.

   “I know a place of all sweet coolnesses; / a little island, like an emerald, set / in the clear argent of a river, that is / Itself a shining net”

   “Surely there is between human kind and trees a kinship immemorial, antedating the fret and fever of the nerves, bringing old coolnesses to serve as refuge, making us know the time when spring was no torment, autumn no regret.”

2. (uncountable, usually)Calmness, confidence, or level-headedness.

   “De Coude was the personification of coolness—was he not the best shot in France?”

   “Luckily for England, they have a world-class striker with a golden touch in [Harry] Kane, who was coolness personified to carefully direct in the winner.”

3. (countable, dated, usually)Conflict or hostility or an instance of such that stands in contrast to expected friendliness or interest.

   “In the midst of enemies, Irish and English, Court treacheries and coolnesses, Strafford depended solely upon Laud, and no one other support.”

   “"These things are certainly very annoying," said Belinda. "I've often experienced similar affairs. But, in my case, no doubt they were explainable. My tongue does run away with me sometimes," she concluded, with an engaging smile. I laughed. Belinda and her friends and coolnesses were a standing joke.”

   “'Yes, sir. He expressed annoyance at the change of plan. Indeed, I gathered from his remarks, for he was kind enough to confide in me, that there has resulted a certain coolness between himself and Miss Bassett.' 'Gosh!' I said. […] So, knowing my view regarding this Bassett, M., you will readily understand why this stuff about coolnesses drew a startled 'Gosh!' from me.”

4. (uncountable, usually)Indifference or an instance of indifference; lack of friendliness or interest not necessarily rising to hostility.

   “A regulatory backstop would still be needed, however, because the problem can cut both ways – that is, the utility can also exhibit coolness toward aspects of water conservation. In Kingston, members of [the] local council felt that they lacked sufficient influence over the utility (a municipal corportation) to advance a conservation agenda. At the same time, utility staff had difficulty harmonizing water rates due to council resistance (see Chapter 4).”

5. (often, slang, uncountable, usually)Social advantage or enviability, typically due to traits like popularity, confidence, skill, or fashion.

   “When I argue that Beverly Hills, 90210 makes use of 'An Americana Cool,' then I mean to propose that the show makes use of a wide variety of culturally codified coolness(es) that is/are anchored in a mainstream American symbology, in an Americana of patterned American styles, gestures, and codes.”