cool head

English

Pronunciation

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Noun

cool head (plural cool heads)

1. (idiomatic) A calm, focused demeanor and mindset; a person having such characteristics.
   • 1829, James Fenimore Cooper, chapter 23, in The Wept of Wish-Ton-Wish:

     [H]e had been engaged in divers hostile expeditions against the aborigines, and on all occasions had he shown a cool head and a resolute mind.

   • 1896, Mark Twain, chapter 5, in Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc:

     Joan had a cool head—the only cool head there—and she took command and brought order out of that chaos.

   • 1984 June 8, Janet Maslin, “Film: Ghostbusters, with Murray and Aykroyd”, in New York Times, retrieved 20 March 2014:

     It requires a cool head, which Mr. Murray most assuredly has, as well as the ability to remain unruffled by bizarre apparitions.

   • 2006 November 19, Christine Gorman, “What Ails The CDC”, in Time, retrieved 20 March 2014:

     A telegenic personality who connected easily with journalists, Gerberding quickly became the public face of the CDC—a rare cool head among a parade of increasingly confused health bureaucrats.

   • 2025 November 12, Philip Haigh, “High praise for rail staff's courage and clear thinking”, in RAIL, number 1048, page 50:

     There was also public praise in the days that followed for the train's driver, Andrew Johnson. It took a cool head to co-ordinate with the signaller at York ROC to have the train switched from fast to slow line, to permit the stop in Huntingdon station.

Derived terms

• cool-headed
• cooler heads will prevail

Translations

a person with a calm, focused mindset

Afrikaans: koelkop

References

• “cool head”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.