chilling

adjective chill·ing \ ˈchi-liŋ \

|Updated on: 9 Jun 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

Paul Manafort’s attempts to contact witnesses in his criminal case not only deepens his legal peril, but also sends a chilling message to others under Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s scrutiny.

— david voreacos, Bloomberg.com, "Mueller Plays Hardball With Manafort, Sending a Message to Others," 5 June 2018
Despite the accolades, Myanmar authorities have kept them detained for months, sending a chilling message to other journalists in the Southeast Asian nation, which was ruled by the military until 2016.

— eli meixler, Time, "Two Reuters Reporters Have Now Spent 100 Days Behind Bars in Myanmar for Exposing a Massacre," 21 Mar. 2018
The water-chilling process causes the chicken to take on added water weight, which ultimately dilutes the flavor of the meat—less than ideal.

— alex delany, Bon Appetit, "How to Buy the Best Chicken at the Grocery Store," 19 Feb. 2018
And non-competes can have a chilling effect even in places that do not recognise them.

— The Economist, "The case against non-compete clauses," 17 May 2018
Yet without a clear ban on gag clauses in contracts, the size and power of PBMs can have a chilling effect on pharmacists, said David Hyman, a law professor at Georgetown University.

— sarah gantz, Philly.com, "Drug price 'gag clauses' make your medicine more expensive. Now, they're under fire nationally," 16 May 2018
Opponents and a federal judge in Texas balked at the revisions, saying criminal penalties tied to lying on the affidavit could have a chilling effect on voters.

— paul j. weber, Fox News, "Court upholds Texas' law in another big voter ID ruling," 28 Apr. 2018
That means studying by candlelight; using generators for things once taken for granted, such as keeping medications cold or chilling fresh meat; and coping with family separations that have accelerated in the aftermath of the tragedy.

— whitney eulich, The Christian Science Monitor, "Months after Maria, Puerto Ricans take recovery into their own hands," 7 May 2018
Estimates are that by 2028, just the interest on the debt will be the second largest budget item, a situation that would have a chilling effect on economic growth.

— julie heath, Cincinnati.com, "The problem with a balanced budget amendment," 3 May 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.