FRIGIDITY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does frigidity mean? 

• FRIGIDITY (noun)
  The noun FRIGIDITY has 3 senses:

1. sexual unresponsiveness (especially of women) and inability to achieve orgasm during intercourse

2. the absence of heat

3. a lack of affection or enthusiasm

  Familiarity information: FRIGIDITY used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FRIGIDITY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Sexual unresponsiveness (especially of women) and inability to achieve orgasm during intercourse

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

frigidity; frigidness

Hypernyms ("frigidity" is a kind of...):

deadness; unresponsiveness (the quality of being unresponsive; not reacting; as a quality of people, it is marked by a failure to respond quickly or with emotion to people or events)

Derivation:

frigid (sexually unresponsive)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The absence of heat

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

cold; coldness; frigidity; frigidness; low temperature

Context example:

cold is a vasoconstrictor

Hypernyms ("frigidity" is a kind of...):

pressor; vasoconstrictive; vasoconstrictor (any agent that causes a narrowing of an opening of a blood vessel: cold or stress or nicotine or epinephrine or norepinephrine or angiotensin or vasopressin or certain drugs; maintains or increases blood pressure)

temperature (the degree of hotness or coldness of a body or environment (corresponding to its molecular activity))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "frigidity"):

chill; gelidity; iciness (coldness due to a cold environment)

chilliness; coolness; nip (the property of being moderately cold)

frostiness (coldness as evidenced by frost)

cool (the quality of being at a refreshingly low temperature)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A lack of affection or enthusiasm

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

chilliness; coldness; coolness; frigidity; frigidness; iciness

Context example:

a distressing coldness of tone and manner

Hypernyms ("frigidity" is a kind of...):

emotionlessness; unemotionality (absence of emotion)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "frigidity"):

stone (a lack of feeling or expression or movement)

lukewarmness; tepidness (lack of passion, force or animation)

Derivation:

frigid (devoid of warmth and cordiality; expressive of unfriendliness or disdain)

 Context examples 

When I remembered how far I had once been admitted to his confidence, I could hardly comprehend his present frigidity.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)