thrilling

adjective

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

Recent Examples on the Web On December 18, Argentina faced off against defending champion France in the final, taking home the cup in a thrilling match that ended in 4-2 penalty shoot-out victory. Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 20 Nov. 2023 As Williams wrestled with the disappointment of another championship-less season in college, the potential end of his short but thrilling, two-year USC career apparently snuck up on him. Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2023 The Best Places to See Fall Foliage Across America — and Exactly When to Visit Each While the idea of getting an extra hour of sleep is exciting, daylight saving time ending may not be the most thrilling day on your calendar. People Staff, Peoplemag, 3 Nov. 2023 The novelty of that control was thrilling to those of us raised on vinyl. Jon Michaud, The New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2023 Williams already put his mark on the rivalry last year, leading the Trojans to a thrilling 48-45 win in the Rose Bowl with 470 passing yards and two touchdowns with one rushing touchdown. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2023 Director Robert O’Hara resurrects Anthony Davis’s 1986 work about the black civil-rights leader, in a production that gives thrilling voice to a richly jazzy score. Heidi Waleson, WSJ, 14 Nov. 2023 Master acrobatic moves, execute thrilling combos, and experience the breathtaking excitement of web-swinging traversal through the DualSense wireless controller’s adaptive triggers. Rudie Obias, Variety, 10 Nov. 2023 Scott shifts from a beat predicated on brooding strings into a grander production, then makes one more thrilling beat switch. Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 7 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thrilling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1768, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of thrilling was in 1768

Dictionary Entries Near thrilling

Cite this Entry

“Thrilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thrilling. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.

More from Merriam-Webster on thrilling

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!