cool beans
5 synonyms for cool beans, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Interjection — An informal expression of approval, agreement or mild delight, used to say that something is good news or fine by you.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
nice one
sounds good
How to use cool beans
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
cool beans, thanks
well, cool beans
Very informal slang, often used ironically or self-mockingly. Out of place in any formal setting.
Frequently asked questions
What does cool beans mean?
It is a light-hearted way of saying 'great' or 'that's fine'. It carries no more meaning than 'cool' on its own; the beans just make it sound sillier and friendlier.
Is cool beans outdated?
It reads as dated and deliberately goofy to most speakers now, which is largely why it survives — people use it half-ironically, often to sound cheerfully uncool.
Where does the phrase cool beans come from?
The origin is not documented with any certainty. It is an American slang intensifier of 'cool' that spread widely in the late twentieth century, and any specific claim about who coined it should be treated with suspicion.
