: 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
Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 20 Dec. 2025
These efforts seem to have created a chilling effect, making many female immigrants scared to show up for work.
—Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 19 Dec. 2025
In the following year, bin Laden made good on his chilling threat with al-Qaeda’s near-simultaneous attacks on two US embassies in Africa that killed more than 200 people.
—Peter Bergen, CNN Money, 18 Dec. 2025
But the outcome was just as chilling.
—Viren Naidu, IndieWire, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chilling
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Adjective
Smart said the couple who kidnapped and abused her bore chilling similarities to Epstein and Maxwell.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 20 Dec. 2025
These efforts seem to have created a chilling effect, making many female immigrants scared to show up for work.
—Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 19 Dec. 2025
In the following year, bin Laden made good on his chilling threat with al-Qaeda’s near-simultaneous attacks on two US embassies in Africa that killed more than 200 people.
—Peter Bergen, CNN Money, 18 Dec. 2025
But the outcome was just as chilling.
—Viren Naidu, IndieWire, 18 Dec. 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 28 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
chilling
adjective
chill·ing
ˈchil-iŋ 
: very disturbing or frightening
a chilling case of abuse
chillingly
adverb
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