Meanings
nouncold wave (countable and uncountable, plural cold waves)
plural cold waves
- countableuncountableA short period of very cold weather.
Synonyms: cold snap, cold spell · Antonyms: heatwave
- countableuncountableA permanent wave in the hair set by special solutions without the aid of any heating machine.
- alternativeuncountableentertainmentAlternative spelling of coldwave (“European post-punk music sub-genre”).
Not so much forgotten as little heard in the first place, cold wave – and its dancier, synth-powered cousin, minimal wave – finds its roots in early 80s France.
2009 July 13, Louis Pattison, “Scene and heard: Cold wave”, in The Guardian
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Translations
Arabic مَوْجَةُ اْلبَرْدِ
- مَوْجَةُ اْلبَرْدِ (mawjatu ālbardi)a short period with a considerable fall in temperature
Chinese Mandarin 寒流
- 寒流 (hánliú)a short period with a considerable fall in temperature
Dutch koudegolf
- koudegolfa short period with a considerable fall in temperature
Finnish kylmäaalto
- kylmäaaltoa short period with a considerable fall in temperature
French vague de froid
- vague de froida short period with a considerable fall in temperature
German Kältewelle
- Kältewellea short period with a considerable fall in temperature
Hungarian hideghullám
- hideghulláma short period with a considerable fall in temperature
Icelandic kuldabylgja
- kuldabylgjaa short period with a considerable fall in temperature
Japanese 寒波
- 寒波 (kanpa)a short period with a considerable fall in temperature
Polish fala chłodnego powietrza
- fala chłodnego powietrzaa short period with a considerable fall in temperature
Spanish ola de frío
- ola de fríoa short period with a considerable fall in temperature
Swedish köldvåg
- köldvåga short period with a considerable fall in temperature
Turkish soğuk dalgası, soğuk hava dalgası
- soğuk dalgasıa short period with a considerable fall in temperature
- soğuk hava dalgasıa short period with a considerable fall in temperature
Vietnamese sóng lạnh
- sóng lạnha short period with a considerable fall in temperature
Cite this entry
APA
cold wave. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cold%20wave
MLA
“cold wave.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cold%20wave. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cold wave,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cold%20wave.
Source: cold wave on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.