coolnesses

Noun

coolness (usually uncountable, plural coolnesses)

1. (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 net1883, Emily Sullivan Oakey, In the Heat., in At the Foot of Parnassus, page 97
2. (usually) Calmness, confidence, or level-headedness.
   • De Coude was the personification of coolness—was he not the best shot in France?1913 June–December, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “A Duel”, in The Return of Tarzan, New York, N.Y.: A[lbert] L[evi] Burt Company, […], published March 1915, →OCLC, page 78
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.1892, James Bowling Mozley, “Archbishop Laud.”, in Essays, Historical and Theological, volume 1, page 201
4. (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...2016, Kathryn Furlong, “ASD and the Goal of Efficiency” (chapter 6), in Leaky Governance: Alternative Service Delivery and the Myth of Water Utility Independence, page 123
5. (often, slang, 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.2014, Susanne Hamscha, “Coolness Has A Number: The 'Americana Cool' of Beverly Hills, 90210”, in Astrid M. Fellner, Susanne Hamscha, Klaus Heissenberger, Jennifer J* Moos, editors, Is It 'Cause It's...