bone-chilling

adjective

bone-chill·​ing ˈbōn-ˌchi-liŋ How to pronounce bone-chilling (audio)
: intensely cold
bone-chilling weather
also : penetrating, disturbing, or intense in emotional or physical effect
bone-chilling drama
a bone-chilling wind

Examples of bone-chilling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Ready to dive into the bone-chilling Conjuring world? Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 8 Sep. 2023 As the trailer picks up, in a flash and with a bone-chilling shriek, our driver accelerates into the undead woman, then veering into a nearby tree. Holly Jones, Variety, 6 Sep. 2023 Eventually, after many more awful happenings, Dae-su’s tormentor is revealed to be the billionaire businessman Lee Woo-jin (a bone-chilling Yoo Ji-tae). Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Aug. 2023 These guys are sure to create a bone-chilling Halloween. Emily Vanschmus, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2023 This isn’t the first time scientists have grown produce in Antarctica, despite the continent’s bone-chilling temps. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 7 Aug. 2023 But that angry agent has bone-chilling words of warning about what the industry is facing if people don’t get back to normal relatively soon. Kim Masters, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 July 2023 At a bone-chilling minus 144 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 98 degrees Celsius), NASA says the East Antarctica Plateau in Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth. Josie Goodrich, USA TODAY, 12 July 2023 The Act of Killing (2012) Dir: Joshua Oppenheimer In this documentary, decades after the mass murders of civilians by the Indonesian military, the leaders of the death squads reenact the killings—often with a bone-chilling casualness—using their favorite movie genres. 50. The New Republic, 22 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bone-chilling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1861, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bone-chilling was in 1861

Dictionary Entries Near bone-chilling

Cite this Entry

“Bone-chilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bone-chilling. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!