English

Noun

cold comfort ‎(countable and uncountable, plural cold comforts)

1. (idiomatic) Much less reassurance, consolation, aid, or pleasure than one needs or desires.
   • c. 1594, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew, act 4, scene 1:

     Shall I complain on thee to our mistress,

     whose hand, she being now at hand, thou shalt soon

     feel, to thy cold comfort, for being slow in thy hot office?

   • 1844, James Fenimore Cooper, Miles Wallingford, chapter 6:

     A cold breakfast was very cold comfort.

   • 1914, Edgar Rice Burroughs, At the Earth's Core, chapter 9:

     At least I should not die alone. Human eyes would watch me end. It was cold comfort I presume, but yet I derived some slight peace of mind from the contemplation of it.

   • 2010 April 8, Ben Lando, "U.S. Officials Downplay Rash of Baghdad Attacks," Time:

     But statistics are cold comfort when the latest explosion has leveled a nearby building.

Translations

References

• cold comfort at OneLook Dictionary Search