: 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
Owen Clarke, Outside, 21 Feb. 2026
But layered onto Savannah’s celebrity is the general mystery surrounding the chilling case.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026
Case in point, Late Night With the Devil takes place on a chilling Halloween night in 1977, during which a series of horrifying events occurred on an episode of a live talk show.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Feb. 2026
The notion that content should align with an author’s demographic identity is as chilling and stultifying as any other muzzling.
—Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
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Adjective
According to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, in an interview televised by the German Press Agency, Waller said that the verdict could have a chilling effect on how climbers approach trips into the mountains in Austria.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 21 Feb. 2026
But layered onto Savannah’s celebrity is the general mystery surrounding the chilling case.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2026
Case in point, Late Night With the Devil takes place on a chilling Halloween night in 1977, during which a series of horrifying events occurred on an episode of a live talk show.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Feb. 2026
The notion that content should align with an author’s demographic identity is as chilling and stultifying as any other muzzling.
—Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for chilling
Cite this Entry
“Chilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chilling. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
chilling
adjective
chill·ing
ˈchil-iŋ 
: very disturbing or frightening
a chilling case of abuse
chillingly
adverb
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