colder

Colder is the comparative form of the adjective cold. It indicates a lower temperature or a greater degree of cold relative to a reference point, such as another object, place, time, or condition. In typical usage, colder is followed by than to make a direct comparison, as in “Today is colder than yesterday.”

Colder can modify nouns describing physical conditions or sensations, including weather, air, water, and surfaces, for example “colder weather,” “colder air,” or “a colder surface.” It is also used metaphorically to describe less warm or more distant interactions, such as “a colder reception” or “colder friendships.” The word is common in weather reports, climate discussions, and everyday speech when comparing temperatures or thermal experiences.

Related forms include the base adjective cold and the superlative coldest. The comparative form colder uses the regular suffix -er, with pronunciation typically stressing the first syllable and ending in a rhotacized as -er in many dialects.

Etymology traces colder to the Old English language and its Germanic roots, built from the word cold with the standard English method for forming comparatives. The concept remains widely understood across languages that distinguish degrees of temperature.

See also: cold, chilly, chillier, cool, weather comparison.