midwinter
Year's coldest stretch
Midwinter is the middle of winter, especially around the winter solstice in late December—the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
The word evokes the coldest, darkest stretch of the season: a midwinter storm, midwinter festivities.
As an adjective: a midwinter night.
Year's minimum daylight
- longest nightMaximum darkness period yearly
- DecemberYear's final month
- axial tiltRotational axis deviation
- celestialOf the sky above
astronomy · Stonehenge · druids · ancients · rituals · alignment · sunrise · sunset
Extremely cold
- chillCold sensation or relaxation
- shiverInvoluntary trembling sensation
- frostThin ice coating
- iceWater's solid form
numbness · frostbite · hypothermia · windchill · bitter · biting · polar · arctic
Violent prolonged snowstorm
- snowstormHeavy winter precipitation event
- sleetPartly frozen precipitation
- gustBrief wind surge
- windchillPerceived temperature drop
precipitation · accumulation · forecast · inclement · hazardous · visibility · exposure · snowfall
Winter nativity celebration
- HanukkahEight-day Jewish celebration
- KwanzaaAfrican-American cultural holiday
- carolsFestive religious songs
- feastingEating sumptuously together
decorations · gifts · celebration · revelry · traditions · wassail · eggnog · presents
Frozen fog deposit
- rimeGranular ice deposit
- ice crystalsSolid water formations
- frozenSolidified by extreme cold
- frostedCovered with icy film
glaze · icicle · snowflake · sleet · white · silvery · delicate · lace
shortest day
Year's minimum daylight
- longest nightMaximum darkness period yearly
- DecemberYear's final month
- axial tiltRotational axis deviation
celestial · astronomy · Stonehenge · druids · ancients · rituals · alignment · sunrise · sunset · turning point
freezing
Extremely cold
ice · numbness · frostbite · hypothermia · windchill · bitter · biting · polar · arctic · bone-chilling
blizzard
Violent prolonged snowstorm
windchill · precipitation · accumulation · forecast · inclement · hazardous · visibility · exposure · snowfall · flurries
Christmas
Winter nativity celebration
- HanukkahEight-day Jewish celebration
- KwanzaaAfrican-American cultural holiday
- carolsFestive religious songs
feasting · decorations · gifts · celebration · revelry · traditions · wassail · eggnog · presents · family
hoarfrost
Frozen fog deposit
- rimeGranular ice deposit
- ice crystalsSolid water formations
- frozenSolidified by extreme cold
frosted · glaze · icicle · snowflake · sleet · white · silvery · delicate · lace · windowpane
stark
Severe and unadorned
grim · austere · bare · forbidding · sparse · severe · unforgiving · emptiness · silence · gray
hibernation
Prolonged winter dormancy
denning · burrow · bear · groundhog · marmot · dormant · quiescence · stillness · slumber · retreat
- wintersnow, ice, cold, frozen, frost
- seasonsautumn, summer, spring, fall, summertime
- Cold Expressionsfreezing cold, bitter cold, bone-chilling, cold snap, cold spell
- Winter HolidaysChristmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day
- middlemiddle, midpoint, center, central, halfway
- Seasonal Termsspring equinox, summer solstice, autumn equinox, midsummer, early spring
midwintermidsummer
Peak of warm months
summer solstice · high summer · June solstice · longest day · June
- midwinter feastCelebratory meal at winter's depths