: gravely disturbing or frightening
a chilling case of abuse
chilling
2 of 2present participle of chill entry 3
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
Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 12 Sep. 2025
The celebratory reaction to Charlie's assassination across swaths of left-wing social media was also positively chilling.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
This week has some chilling documentaries, an ultra-realistic war film, and more.
—PC Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
Zone 8 gardeners also get better results by pre-chilling tulips and crocuses.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chilling
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
The vitriol levied at uninvolved lawmakers since Wednesday's shooting has had a chilling effect on the American tradition of lawmakers' community engagement — as well as the open debate and political discourse Kirk himself espoused.
—Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 12 Sep. 2025
The celebratory reaction to Charlie's assassination across swaths of left-wing social media was also positively chilling.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
This week has some chilling documentaries, an ultra-realistic war film, and more.
—PC Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
Zone 8 gardeners also get better results by pre-chilling tulips and crocuses.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chilling
Cite this Entry
“Chilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chilling. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
chilling
adjective
chill·ing
ˈchil-iŋ 
: very disturbing or frightening
a chilling case of abuse
chillingly
adverb
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share