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

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

In 2014, Hudson gave a chilling performance as psychic Stevie in the horror film The Pact II. —Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 8 Aug. 2025

And that has had a chilling effect on taking risks, especially since shows have gotten more and more expensive. —Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 7 Aug. 2025

While both have pointed out that only a small fraction of deals were ever challenged, their crackdown had a chilling effect in Silicon Valley and boardrooms across the world. —Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 7 Aug. 2025

For a brief, chilling moment, Freud believes a stranger has wandered into his private space. —Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2025

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