bone-chilling

adjective

bone-chill·​ing ˈbōn-ˌchi-liŋ 

: intensely cold

bone-chilling weather

also : penetrating, disturbing, or intense in emotional or physical effect

bone-chilling drama

a bone-chilling wind

Synonyms

• frigid
• icy
• chilly
• cold
• freezing
• chill
• cool

Examples of bone-chilling in a Sentence

we stood in line for hours in the bone-chilling weather

Recent Examples on the Web

An ‘old-fashioned winter’ There was record-breaking snowfall, bone-chilling temperatures, and personally, a lot of hot chocolate to keep warm this past winter. —Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025

Armed with her signature razor-sharp wit and deadpan charm, Wednesday is also plunged into a new bone-chilling supernatural mystery. —Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025

Other rooms offer comfort paired with modernism and bone-chilling views. —Tj MacIas, Sacbee.com, 5 Aug. 2025

The season will also introduce viewers to new characters as Wednesday navigates family, friends and old adversaries while tackling a new bone-chilling supernatural mystery. ​Details about Season 3's plot, casting and production timeline remain under wraps​. —Veronica Villafañe, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1861, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bone-chilling

• backfilling
• distilling
• fulfilling
• infilling
• instilling
• refilling
• sawmilling
• unwilling
• billing
• chilling
• drilling
• filling