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 of chilling

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

The most famous is that of a shapely woman wearing a red bikini, a chilling reminder of a horrifying story of a young woman captured by inmates. — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 24 July 2026

As seen in the new Netflix documentary A Toxic Love Story, Connell and Diaz accused Hadley of being behind the chilling emails and reported her to local police. — Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026

Across the country, Allison Groff has seen an old and chilling form of antisemitism rear its head. — Dina Kraft, Christian Science Monitor, 22 July 2026

Rollins' ambiguous response was cut short by a superkick to Jacob Fatu, who emerged with a chilling smile. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

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