chilling

1 of 2

adjective

chill·​ing ˈchi-liŋ 

: gravely disturbing or frightening

a chilling case of abuse

chillingly

ˈchi-liŋ-lē 

adverb

chilling

2 of 2

present participle of chill entry 3

Synonyms of chilling

Adjective

• chilly
• chill
• bleak
• bitter
• cold

Examples of chilling in a Sentence

Adjective

a Southern visitor who was unused to the chilling air of a Northeast winter

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

In a chilling development, Evans is now under criminal investigation for allegedly leaking details of the case. — Eyal Press, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026

Blown up for a movie-theater screen, what may have once played as a chilling enactment of justice is now more likely to receive rollicking laughter from its audience, so theatrical is Hansen’s moralizing. — Alex Jhamb Burns, Vogue, 25 Sep. 2026

The song, a chilling rocker with dense guitar riffs that lurk in the distance, serves as the end title to Lance Oppenheim’s crime thriller. — Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2026

The first look at the film shows just how straightforward and sparse the documentary is, focusing on the chilling testimonies of soldiers who participated (and may be still participating) in the genocide in Gaza. — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1815, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing chilling

• bone-chilling
• spine-chilling

Rhymes for chilling

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

Kids Definition

chilling

adjective

chill·​ing ˈchil-iŋ 

: very disturbing or frightening

a chilling case of abuse

chillingly adverb