What the Cold Emoji 🥶 Means & When to Use It

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See how this ice-cold emoji describes more than just the weather

Co-authored by Dan Hickey Reviewed by Candace Gasper

Last Updated: June 7, 2025 Fact Checked

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• 🥶 (Cold) Emoji Meanings
|
• How to Use the 🥶 Emoji
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• Similar Emojis
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• When did 🥶 debut?

|Show more |Show less

Brr! Is it cold in here? 🥶 Whether you’re complaining about sub-zero temperatures or how frosty your relationship with your ex has gotten, the cold (or cold face) emoji is there to speak for you. Read on to learn what it means literally and in slang, plus when and how to use it in texts or on social media to stay cool. 🥶

What does the 🥶 (cold) emoji mean?

• The 🥶 emoji refers to anything that’s cold or frozen temperature-wise: you, the weather, your drinks, you name it!
• The 🥶 emoji can also describe someone who’s acting cold, rude, detached, or impersonal.
• In slang, the 🥶 emoji is another way to say “cool” or “chill,” but this use isn’t super common.

Steps

Section 1 of 4:

🥶 (Cold) Emoji Meanings

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1. 
   1
   The 🥶 emoji symbolizes cold weather and feeling very cold or freezing. This is the most literal interpretation of the 🥶 emoji. The blue skin, grimacing expression, and hanging icicles show how uncomfortably cold the emoji is; you can practically see it shivering! Besides just feeling cold, it can also represent winter and other cold-weather activities.

   • “Boy, it sure is cold today! 🥶”
   • “I love ski season! ⛷️❄️🥶”
2. 
   2
   Metaphorically, the 🥶 emoji represents being cold or distant personality-wise. This emoji also describes behavior or people you might describe as cold, distant, aloof, detached, or uncaring. Picture an ex who’s pretending their former partner doesn’t exist, or someone who gives negative feedback in a blunt, harsh way. That’s cold!

   • “So, Amanda isn’t talking to me anymore 🥶”
   • “I couldn’t stand working there anymore. Everyone was so impersonal and standoffish 🥶🙄”
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3. 
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   Slang-wise, the 🥶 emoji is another way to say “cool” or “chill.” It’s like a play on words (or a play on pictures?). Instead of responding that something sounds cool (good, correct, fine) or chill (relaxed, casual, low-maintenance), a 🥶 emoji does the talking for you. This meaning isn’t super common, but you may come across it occasionally.

   • “You should come by my house warming party tomorrow! It’s gonna be pretty chill 🥶🎉”
   • Them: “Are burgers OK tonight?”
     You: “Yep, that’s cool! 🥶👍”
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Section 2 of 4:

When & How to Use the 🥶 (Cold) Emoji

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1. 
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   Send 🥶 to show how freezing cold you are or how cold it is outside. If you’re extra freezing, your fingers might be too numb to type out “I’m cold,” so use the 🥶 emoji instead! This emoji doesn’t require a lot of explanation; you can send it by itself to give someone the gist that you’re frigid, or type out a message to explain what’s going on.

   • Them: “How’s your camping trip going?”
     You: “🥶🥶🥶”
   • “I’m never walking my dog in this temperature again! She’s shivering so much 🥶😞”
2. 
   2
   Use 🥶 to describe someone’s who’s acting distant, aloof, or cold-natured. When a harsh or impersonal interaction leaves you feeling down, use the 🥶 emoji to paint a picture of what happened or how you feel. Cold behavior includes things like not being empathetic or understanding, acting extra detached or disinterested in what’s going on, giving the silent treatment, or just generally being prickly or unapproachable.

   • “John and Sarah showed up to the party together but didn’t talk to each other at all 🥶 I wonder what happened 👀”
   • “I can’t believe that recruiter ghosted you after all those emails! 🥶 Job hunting is the worst!!”
   • Remember that just because someone acts cold once doesn’t mean they’re unfriendly all the time! They may be having a hard day or feel uncomfortable in certain situations, so try to give them the benefit of the doubt.
3. 
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   Reply with 🥶 to say that something is “cool” or “chill.” Send the 🥶 emoji as a silly replacement for emojis like 👍 (thumbs up) or 👌 (OK) to show that whatever the other person said is cool or chill with you. Some people may not know what you mean by this right away, so you might want to include a short message the first time you send 🥶 to someone so they know for the future.

   • Them: “We’re gonna swing by the liquor store after we pick you up if that’s cool?”
     You: “Yep! Super cool with me 🥶”
   • Them: “My parents are going to love you! Just relax and be yourself, it’s a casual dinner.”
     You: “I will be the chillest human they’ve ever met 🥶”
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Section 3 of 4:

Similar Emojis

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1. 
   Tired of sending the 🥶 emoji over and over again? Take a look at these alternatives; with 3,782 available emojis, there’s one for every occasion!

   • More cold weather emojis: ☃️ (snowman with snow), ⛄ (snowman), ❄️ (snowflake), 🌨️ (cloud with snow), 🏔️ (snow mountain), 🏂 (snowboarder), ⛷️ (skier), 🎿 (snow skis), 🧊 (ice cube)
   • More cold-hearted emojis: 😠 (angry), 😡 (rage), 💢 (anger), 😞 (sad), 🥹 (holding back tears), 💔 (broken heart), 🖐️ (talk to the hand), 😶 (no talking), 🧊 (ice cube)
   • More cool and chill emojis: 👌 (OK), 👍 (thumbs up), 😎 (sunglasses face), 🆒 (cool)

Section 4 of 4:

When did the 🥶 (cold) emoji debut?

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1. 
   The 🥶 emoji debuted as part of Emoji 11.0 in 2018. It was first added to Unicode 11.0 earlier in the year on February 7, 2018 under the name “freezing face.” Later, it was released as a new emoji (along with lots more facial expressions, body parts in various skin tones, and animals) on June 5.

   • The 🥶 emoji’s codepoint is U+1F976.
   • The Unicode Standard applies unique numeric codes to symbols and images, like emojis, so that they appear consistent across different messaging platforms and languages.
   • The 🥶 emoji’s face is inspired by the 😬 (grimacing face) emoji, which was approved as part of Emoji 1.0 in 2015.
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