politeness - Adjective negation: difference between 〜くない and 〜くあ りません

What's the difference between 〜くない and 〜くありません? Both are added to an i-adjective (イ形容詞, verb type adjective) to make it negative. For example:

• 寒くない


• 寒くありません

But what's the difference? Is one more polite or more formal than the other?

Is there a term to use to tell them apart. E.g. One is polite Negative etc.

Answer

• 〜くない (casual)


• 〜くありません (formal)

It's basically that simple. So saying 寒くありません is more formal than saying 寒くない.

However, I feel that saying 寒くありません is a bit stiff even if you are trying to be polite. Instead, saying 寒くないです sounds more natural and is also more polite than leaving off the です.