thrilling

1 of 2

adjective

thrill·​ing ˈthri-liŋ 

: causing a feeling of great excitement or happiness

a thrilling discovery

a thrilling performance

… flashes into the end zone to give the Rams the winning touchdown in the most thrilling Super Bowl finish ever.

—Rick Reilly

thrillingly

ˈthri-liŋ-lē 

adverb

Who, in fact, are the good guys and who are the bad guys in the dramas that unfold here so thrillingly?

—Marie Winn

… this is a powerful and thrillingly strange movie …

—Terrence Rafferty

thrilling

2 of 2

present participle of thrill entry 1

Synonyms of thrilling

Adjective

• exciting
• breathtaking
• interesting
• intriguing

Examples of thrilling in a Sentence

Adjective

a thrilling adventure movie

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

In Week 1, Carroll erased a 27-0 deficit to stun Oklahoma power Jenks at the Cotton Bowl in a thrilling win. — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2026

Wu, who plays a high-octane, attacking style of tennis, matched Alcaraz shot for shot in a thrilling opening set, and had a 3-1 tiebreak lead before Alcaraz settled. — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

As a talk-show host and media personality, her sometimes petulant, relentlessly flirtatious energy was a thrilling throwback to the likes of Rosie O’Donnell or Alan Carr’s chat shows. — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026

Anyone who’s watched Unrivaled knows this game is every bit as thrilling as any other sport out there. — Todd Spangler, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1768, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for thrilling

• billing
• chilling
• drilling
• filling
• grilling
• killing
• milling
• pilling
• rilling
• schilling
• shilling
• skilling