Seattle Freeze

proper noun

The social phenomenon where residents of Seattle, Washington, appear polite but distant, making it challenging, especially for newcomers, to form deep friendships or break into established social circles.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

proper nounthe Seattle Freeze
  1. UShuman sciencesThe social phenomenon where residents of Seattle, Washington, appear polite but distant, making it challenging, especially for newcomers, to form deep friendships or break into established social circles.
Cite this entry
APA

Seattle Freeze. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Seattle%20Freeze

MLA

“Seattle Freeze.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Seattle%20Freeze. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Seattle Freeze,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Seattle%20Freeze.

Source: Seattle Freeze on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.