Brisk vs. Cold — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Maham Liaqat — Updated on April 5, 2024
Brisk often implies a refreshing, invigorating quality, often associated with air or weather, whereas cold denotes a lack of warmth, affecting comfort and environment.
Difference Between Brisk and Cold
Table of Contents
ADVERTISEMENT
Key Differences
Brisk weather is often described as fresh and invigorating, making it ideal for outdoor activities. On the other hand, cold weather is characterized by a sharp decrease in temperature, which can lead to discomfort and the need for warm clothing.
Brisk winds are usually associated with energy and movement, often considered refreshing. Whereas, cold winds can penetrate clothing, bringing about a chill that is often seen as unpleasant.
In terms of temperature, brisk conditions are generally cooler than what is considered comfortable but not excessively so. Cold conditions, however, fall significantly below the comfort zone, sometimes reaching freezing points.
Brisk can also describe a lively or swift pace, as in a brisk walk, suggesting a level of vigor and activity. Cold, in contrast, does not apply to describing physical activity but can describe an emotional state or response, indicating a lack of warmth or affection.
While brisk can have positive connotations, suggesting vitality and health, cold is often used negatively, associated with discomfort, harshness, or lack of emotion.
ADVERTISEMENT
Comparison Chart
Temperature Range
Cooler than comfortable, not extreme
Significantly below comfortable, can be freezing
Connotation
Invigorating, refreshing
Unpleasant, lacking warmth
Associated with
Weather, winds, pace
Weather, winds, feelings
Emotional Implication
Energetic, lively
Unfriendly, distant
Usage in Describing
Weather, winds, activities
Weather, winds, emotional states
Compare with Definitions
Brisk
Vigorously active; brisk walking.
They enjoyed a brisk walk along the beach, feeling energized.
Cold
Causing discomfort by its low temperature.
The cold water of the lake was shocking to swimmers.
Brisk
Sharp but not unpleasantly cold.
The brisk wind invigorated the hikers as they reached the summit.
Cold
Unemotional; lacking affection or warmth of feeling.
His cold demeanor made it hard to approach him.
Brisk
Lively; brisk trade or business.
The café experienced a brisk business during lunch hours.
Cold
Lacking warmth; of low temperature, especially in the environment.
The cold winter nights required extra blankets for warmth.
Brisk
Refreshing and invigorating, especially of weather or air.
The morning was brisk, ideal for a jog in the park.
Cold
A common viral infection; also known as the common cold.
She stayed home due to a severe cold.
Brisk
Quick; energetic.
She maintained a brisk pace throughout the meeting.
Cold
A cold climate; regions with low temperatures.
Penguins thrive in the cold climate of Antarctica.
Brisk
Marked by speed, liveliness, and vigor; energetic
Had a brisk walk in the park.
Cold
Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjective perception.
Brisk
Keen or sharp in speech or manner
A brisk greeting.
Cold
Having a low temperature
Cold water.
Brisk
Stimulating and invigorating
A brisk wind.
Cold
Being at a temperature that is less than what is required or what is normal
Cold oatmeal.
Brisk
Pleasantly zestful
A brisk tea.
Cold
Chilled by refrigeration or ice
Cold beer.
Brisk
Full of liveliness and activity; characterized by quickness of motion or action.
We took a brisk walk yesterday.
Cold
Feeling no warmth; uncomfortably chilled
We were cold sitting by the drafty windows.
Brisk
Full of spirit of life; effervescing.
Cold
Appearing to be dead; unconscious
Found him out cold on the floor.
Brisk
(archaic) Sparkling; fizzy.
Brisk cider
Cold
Dead
Was cold in his grave.
Brisk
Stimulating or invigorating.
This morning was a brisk fall day. It wasn't cold enough for frost, but you wanted to keep moving.
Cold
Lacking emotion; objective
Cold logic.
Brisk
Abrupt, curt in one's manner or in relation to others.
Cold
Having little appeal to the senses or feelings
A cold decor.
Brisk
To make or become lively; to enliven; to animate.
Cold
Designating or being in a tone or color, such as pale gray, that suggests little warmth.
Brisk
Full of liveliness and activity; characterized by quickness of motion or action; lively; spirited; quick.
Cheerily, boys; be brick awhile.
Brisk toil alternating with ready ease.
Cold
Not affectionate or friendly; aloof
A cold person.
A cold nod.
Brisk
Full of spirit of life; effervesc ng, as liquors; sparkling; as, brick cider.
Cold
Exhibiting or feeling no enthusiasm
A cold audience.
A cold response to the new play.
A concert that left me cold.
Brisk
To make or become lively; to enliven; to animate; to take, or cause to take, an erect or bold attitude; - usually with up.
Cold
Having lost all freshness or vividness through passage of time
Dogs attempting to catch a cold scent.
Brisk
Become brisk;
Business brisked up
Cold
So intense as to be almost uncontrollable
Cold fury.
Brisk
Quick and energetic;
A brisk walk in the park
A lively gait
A merry chase
Traveling at a rattling rate
A snappy pace
A spanking breeze
Cold
Characterized by repeated failure, especially in a sport or competitive activity
The team fell into a slump of cold shooting.
Brisk
Imparting vitality and energy;
The bracing mountain air
Cold
To an unqualified degree; totally
Was cold sober.
Brisk
Very active;
Doing a brisk business
Cold
With complete finality
We turned him down cold.
Cold
Without advance preparation or introduction
Took the exam cold and passed.
Walked in cold and got the new job.
Cold
Relative lack of warmth
Cold slows down chemical reactions.
Cold
The sensation resulting from lack of warmth; chill.
Cold
A condition of low air temperature; cold weather
Went out into the cold and got a chill.
Cold
A viral infection characterized by inflammation of the mucous membranes lining the upper respiratory passages and usually accompanied by malaise, fever, chills, coughing, and sneezing. Also called common cold, coryza.
Cold
(of a thing) Having a low temperature.
A cold wind whistled through the trees.
Cold
(of the weather) Causing the air to be cold.
The forecast is that it will be very cold today.
Cold
(of a person or animal) Feeling the sensation of coldness, especially to the point of discomfort.
She was so cold she was shivering.
Cold
Unfriendly; emotionally distant or unfeeling.
She shot me a cold glance before turning her back.
Cold
Dispassionate; not prejudiced or partisan; impartial.
Let's look at this tomorrow with a cold head.
He's a nice guy, but the cold facts say we should fire him.
The cold truth is that states rarely undertake military action unless their national interests are at stake.
Cold
Completely unprepared; without introduction.
He was assigned cold calls for the first three months.
Cold
Unconscious or deeply asleep; deprived of the metaphorical heat associated with life or consciousness.
I knocked him out cold.
After one more beer he passed out cold.
Cold
(usually with "have" or "know" transitively) Perfectly, exactly, completely; by heart; down pat.
Practice your music scales until you know them cold.
Try both these maneuvers until you have them cold and can do them in the dark without thinking.
Rehearse your lines until you have them down cold.
Keep that list in front of you, or memorize it cold.
Cold
(usually with "have" transitively) Cornered; done for.
With that receipt, we have them cold for fraud.
Criminal interrogation. Initially they will dream up explanations faster than you could ever do so, but when they become fatigued, often they will acknowledge that you have them cold.
Cold
(obsolete) Not pungent or acrid.
Cold
(obsolete) Unexciting; dull; uninteresting.
Cold
Affecting the sense of smell (as of hunting dogs) only feebly; having lost its odour.
A cold scent
Cold
(obsolete) Not sensitive; not acute.
Cold
Distant; said, in the game of hunting for some object, of a seeker remote from the thing concealed. Compare warm and hot.
You're cold … getting warmer … hot! You've found it!
Cold
(painting) Having a bluish effect; not warm in colour.
Cold
(databases) Rarely used or accessed, and thus able to be relegated to slower storage.
Cold
(informal) Without compassion; heartless; ruthless.
I can't believe she said that...that was cold!
Cold
(informal) Not radioactive.
Cold
(firearm) Not loaded with a round of live ammunition.
Cold
Without electrical power being supplied.
Cold
A condition of low temperature.
Come in, out of the cold.
Cold
A harsh place; a place of abandonment.
The former politician was left out in the cold after his friends deserted him.
Cold
(medicine) A common, usually harmless, viral illness, usually with congestion of the nasal passages and sometimes fever.
I caught a miserable cold and had to stay home for a week
Cold
(slang) rheum, sleepy dust
Cold
At a low temperature.
The steel was processed cold.
Cold
Without preparation.
The speaker went in cold and floundered for a topic.
Cold
In a cold, frank, or realistically honest manner.
Cold
Deprived of heat, or having a low temperature; not warm or hot; gelid; frigid.
Cold
Lacking the sensation of warmth; suffering from the absence of heat; chilly; shivering; as, to be cold.
Cold
Not pungent or acrid.
Cold
Wanting in ardor, intensity, warmth, zeal, or passion; spiritless; unconcerned; reserved.
A cold and unconcerned spectator.
No cold relation is a zealous citizen.
Cold
Unwelcome; disagreeable; unsatisfactory.
Cold
Wanting in power to excite; dull; uninteresting.
What a deal of cold business doth a man misspend the better part of life in!
The jest grows cold . . . when in comes on in a second scene.
Cold
Affecting the sense of smell (as of hunting dogs) but feebly; having lost its odor; as, a cold scent.
Cold
Not sensitive; not acute.
Smell this business with a sense as coldAs is a dead man's nose.
Cold
Distant; - said, in the game of hunting for some object, of a seeker remote from the thing concealed.
Cold
The relative absence of heat or warmth.
Cold
The sensation produced by the escape of heat; chilliness or chillness.
When she saw her lord prepared to part,A deadly cold ran shivering to her heart.
Cold
A morbid state of the animal system produced by exposure to cold or dampness; a catarrh.
Cold
To become cold.
Cold
A mild viral infection involving the nose and respiratory passages (but not the lungs);
Will they never find a cure for the common cold?
Cold
The absence of heat;
The coldness made our breath visible
Come in out of the cold
Cold is a vasoconstrictor
Cold
The sensation produced by low temperatures;
He shivered from the cold
The cold helped clear his head
Cold
Used of physical coldness; having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration;
A cold climate
A cold room
Dinner has gotten cold
Cold fingers
If you are cold, turn up the heat
A cold beer
Cold
Extended meanings; especially of psychological coldness; without human warmth or emotion;
A cold unfriendly nod
A cold and unaffectionate person
A cold impersonal manner
Cold logic
The concert left me cold
Cold
Having lost freshness through passage of time;
A cold trail
Dogs attempting to catch a cold scent
Cold
(color) giving no sensation of warmth;
A cold bluish gray
Cold
Marked by errorless familiarity;
Had her lines cold before rehearsals started
Cold
No longer new; uninteresting;
Cold (or stale) news
Cold
So intense as to be almost uncontrollable;
Cold fury gripped him
Cold
Feeling or showing no enthusiasm;
A cold audience
A cold response to the new play
Cold
Unconscious from a blow or shock or intoxication;
The boxer was out cold
Pass out cold
Cold
Of a seeker; far from the object sought
Cold
Lacking the warmth of life;
Cold in his grave
Common Curiosities
How does cold weather affect outdoor activities?
Cold weather can hinder outdoor activities by requiring additional layers of clothing and sometimes causing discomfort.
What defines brisk weather?
Brisk weather is characterized by being fresh and invigorating, typically cooler than comfortable but not excessively cold.
Can brisk be used to describe temperatures?
Yes, brisk can describe temperatures that are cool and refreshing, not reaching extreme coldness.
Can cold describe a person's demeanor?
Yes, describing a person as cold implies an unemotional, distant, or unfriendly demeanor.
What activities are ideal in brisk conditions?
Activities like walking, jogging, or cycling are ideal in brisk conditions due to the invigorating air.
What does a brisk pace imply?
A brisk pace implies a quick, energetic movement, often associated with vigor.
Why might someone prefer brisk weather?
People might prefer brisk weather for its energizing and refreshing qualities, ideal for outdoor activities.
Is cold always related to weather?
No, cold can also describe feelings, such as a cold response, indicating a lack of warmth or emotion.
How do cold winds differ from brisk winds?
Cold winds can bring about a penetrating chill, while brisk winds are more refreshing and invigorating.
What emotional state does cold often describe?
Cold can describe an emotional state that is unaffectionate, distant, or lacking in warmth.
What are the health benefits of brisk activity?
Brisk activity, like walking, can improve cardiovascular health, boost energy, and enhance mood.
Can the term brisk apply to business or trade?
Yes, brisk can describe business or trade that is active and lively.
Is getting a cold related to cold weather?
While cold weather can contribute to discomfort, the common cold is caused by viruses, not temperature.
How do people adapt to living in cold climates?
People adapt to cold climates by using appropriate clothing, heating, and sometimes by adjusting outdoor activities.
How does clothing choice differ between brisk and cold weather?
Brisk weather might require light layering, whereas cold weather necessitates heavy, insulated clothing.
Share Your Discovery
Previous Comparison
Turbot vs. Halibut
Next Comparison
Chillout vs. ChillAuthor Spotlight
Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
