thrilling

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

Synonyms of thrilling

• exciting
• breathtaking
• interesting
• intriguing

Examples of thrilling in a Sentence

a thrilling adventure movie

Recent Examples on the Web

Thiero, who missed last year’s summer league because of a knee injury, had 13 points in the Lakers’ thrilling, 93-91 double-overtime win over the Miami Heat on Sunday at Chase Center. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026

Tielemans then converted a penalty in the dying minutes of extra time to seal a thrilling 3-2 win. — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 6 July 2026

In the warm ivory sanctuary of her office in her ambassadorial Georgian town house in London, Madonna is on the latest turn of the roller coaster that is her thrilling, adventuresome, and fecund life. — Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 5 July 2026

For decades, Brazil has given fans one of the most thrilling styles of play — especially in high-stakes tournaments such as the World Cup. — Doha Madani, NBC news, 5 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1768, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for thrilling

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