chilling

1 of 2

adjective

chill·​ing ˈchi-liŋ 

: gravely disturbing or frightening

a chilling case of abuse

chillingly

ˈchi-liŋ-lē 

adverb

chilling

2 of 2

present participle of chill entry 3

Synonyms of chilling

Adjective

• chilly
• chill
• bleak
• bitter
• cold

Examples of chilling in a Sentence

Adjective

a Southern visitor who was unused to the chilling air of a Northeast winter

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Jaafar Jackson’s transformation into the King of Pop will be the main talking point, and two-time Oscar nominee Colman Domingo’s chilling turn as family patriarch Joe Jackson lends the film gravity. — Clayton Davis, Variety, 27 Aug. 2026

The OpenAI version released today does not contain any code snippets, or even the chilling examples of messages the agents left for each other in the months leading up to the attack that its staffers shared at Black Hat. — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026

Burton remembered one chilling conversation with Abbott soon after Kezer was convicted. — Peter Henderson, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026

Nicole de la Torre, a parent teacher organization leader and volunteer for the Prince George’s County Immigration Rights Collective, said she’s seen the chilling effect of immigration enforcement firsthand. — Will Hammann, Baltimore Sun, 24 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1815, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing chilling

• bone-chilling
• spine-chilling

Rhymes for chilling

• billing
• drilling
• filling
• grilling
• killing
• milling
• pilling
• rilling
• schilling
• shilling
• skilling
• spilling

Kids Definition

chilling

adjective

chill·​ing ˈchil-iŋ 

: very disturbing or frightening

a chilling case of abuse

chillingly adverb