thrilling

adjective

thrill·​ing ˈthri-liŋ How to pronounce thrilling (audio)
Synonyms of thrillingnext
: 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 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

Examples of thrilling in a Sentence

a thrilling adventure movie
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The band might be thematically diving into the past, but their present is equally thrilling. Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 6 Jan. 2026 The stage is set for the medal games at the 2026 World Juniors following Sunday’s two excellent semifinals, highlighted by a thrilling Sweden-Finland overtime game that needed an eight-round shootout and the Czechs bouncing the Canadians for a third straight year in the elimination round. Corey Pronman, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026 The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading to the NFL playoffs after a thrilling end to Week 18, and one of their stars is clearly happy because he wasn't allowed to play in the team's crucial final regular-season games due to a suspension. Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 5 Jan. 2026 Brondello led her team through a thrilling WNBA Finals series that ended with an overtime Game 5 home victory to clinch a championship over the Minnesota Lynx. Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for thrilling

Word History

First Known Use

1768, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of thrilling was in 1768

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Thrilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thrilling. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.

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