cold wallet
4 synonyms and 2 antonyms for cold wallet, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A store of the secret keys that control someone's cryptocurrency, kept on a device or piece of paper that is not connected to the internet, so that an attacker online cannot reach it.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
cold storage
hardware wallet
offline wallet
air-gapped wallet
Antonyms
hot wallet
online wallet
How to use cold wallet
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
move funds to a cold wallet
cold storage
hardware wallet
offline backup
Standard in crypto writing. A hardware wallet is the most common form of cold wallet, though not the only one.
Etymology
From cold storage, the idea of keeping something offline and out of reach, contrasted with a hot, or connected, wallet.
Full origin of cold wallet →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a cold wallet and a hot wallet?
A hot wallet is connected to the internet, which makes it convenient for frequent transactions and reachable by online attackers. A cold wallet keeps the keys offline, which makes theft over the internet far harder but every transaction more of a chore.
Is a cold wallet the same as a hardware wallet?
A hardware wallet, a small dedicated device that keeps keys offline, is the usual form of cold wallet, but not the only one. Keys written on paper or stamped into metal and stored away are also cold storage.
What happens if a cold wallet is lost or broken?
The device itself is replaceable; what matters is the recovery phrase generated when it was set up. With that phrase the same keys can be restored on another device. Without it, and without any other backup, the funds cannot be reached by anyone.
