Meaning & use
cooly
Last updated
Meaning
adverbnot comparablerare
A nonstandard spelling of coolly, meaning in a calm, unemotional or unfriendly way.
Grammar: Standard spelling is coolly; cooly is better avoided in careful writing.
Patterns
- respond cooly
- look at someone cooly
She looked at him cooly and said nothing.
He cooly walked past the crowd of reporters.
The captain cooly steered the ship through the storm.
Common combinations
- say cooly
- He said cooly that he was not interested.
- look cooly
- She looked cooly at the offer.
- respond cooly
- They responded cooly to the invitation.
- behave cooly
- The pilot behaved cooly during the emergency.
Synonyms and how they differ
- coolly
- Coolly is the standard, correct spelling of the same word and should be used in formal writing.
- calmly
- Calmly describes composure without any chill or unfriendliness.
- coldly
- Coldly is harsher and suggests a clear lack of warmth.
- composedly
- Composedly is formal and stresses self-control, whereas the other adverbs lean toward distance.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: cooly or coolie?
cooly vs coolie
Coolie is a historic term now regarded as offensive; cooly is not a standard word and should not be used for it.
Practice
Which adverb best completes the sentence: She replied ______, showing no warmth at all?
Choose one answer.
Coolly (also misspelled cooly) means in an unfriendly, composed way. Warmly, eagerly and happily all suggest friendliness.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cooly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.