chilling

adjective chill·ing \ ˈchi-liŋ \

|Updated on: 4 Aug 2018

Examples: chilling in a Sentence

Definition of chilling

: gravely disturbing or frightening

a chilling case of abuse

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chillingly

play \ˈchi-liŋ-lē\ adverb

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Examples of chilling in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of chilling from the Web

Science advocates have raised alarms about self-censorship under the Trump administration, saying political research reviews and staff reassignments create a chilling atmosphere (Climatewire, May 15).

— adam aton, Scientific American, "Government Sea Level Rise Report Released After Charges of Censorship," 21 May 2018
Xiaomi’s high-profile stumble may have a chilling effect on a swathe of Chinese tech corporations keen on raising capital this year to fuel their ambitions, from Meituan Dianping in Hong Kong to Tencent Music in the U.S.

— ian mount, Fortune, "Chinese Smartphone Maker Xiaomi’s Monster IPO Flops on Its First Day of Trading," 9 July 2018
In Uganda, where the youth and unemployed normally buy internet in small bundles, this social media levy threatens to have the same chilling effect as Tanzania’s.

— shayera dark, The Verge, "Strict new internet laws in Tanzania are driving bloggers and content creators offline," 6 July 2018
As immigrant-rights groups have pointed out, Texas’s SB4, a law passed earlier this year that has been called one of the harshest anti-immigrant bills in the country, has created a chilling effect among immigrant communities in the state.

— madeleine aggeler, The Cut, "Sheriff’s Deputy Accused of Sexually Abusing 4-Year-Old Daughter of Undocumented Immigrant," 18 June 2018
The probability of a long zoning battle would have a chilling effect on buyer interest, said Gerald Kosene, a principal of Indianapolis developer Kosene & Kosene, which has built mixed-use projects in Broad Ripple.

— james briggs, Indianapolis Star, "Exclusive: Charter schools say IPS rejected a multi-million dollar offer for Broad Ripple High School," 15 June 2018
The companion peppermint jelly conditioner provides an intense chilling effect (like dunking your head in an ice bucket on a hot day).

— kari molvar, Vogue, "The Supercharged Detox Ingredient That’s Missing From Your Shampoo," 14 June 2018
Many warned that the patents would have a chilling effect on other innovators in the field.

— The Economist, "Google runs into more flak on artificial intelligence," 14 June 2018
An important question is whether the chilling effects, implementation costs, and legal uncertainty that Article 13 brings with it are worth it.

— glyn moody, Ars Technica, "Illegal memes? Weak Safe Harbor? Unpacking the proposed EU copyright overhaul," 12 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chilling.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.