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

As with the original oceangoing hotrod, the latest iteration combines lightweight carbon fiber and huge amounts of horsepower to create a truly thrilling cruising experience on the seas. —Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 26 Jan. 2026

That game included a thrilling finish, highlighted by Malcolm Butler’s end-zone interception of Russell Wilson. —Sportsday Staff, Dallas Morning News, 26 Jan. 2026

The joust is thrilling, both for the attendees watching and for those of us at home. —Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026

Washington delivers the dialogue with a thrilling range from purrs to roars, all imbued with an authoritative swagger. —Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 21 Jan. 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