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chilly

adjective

ˈchi-lē How to pronounce chilly (audio)
Definition of chillynext
1
as in chilling
uncomfortably cool those chilly nights when a warm fire can be especially comforting

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in icy
lacking in friendliness or warmth of feeling a chilly glare directed at the person who tried to go to the head of the line

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in cold
having a low or subnormal temperature a chilly spring morning

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of chilly Tuesday will also feature the chilliest night of the week with lows set to dip into the 40s in the metro and the 30s further north. — Lisa Meadows, CBS News, 22 Sep. 2026 This jacket is constructed from a heavyweight cotton, providing an extra layer that keeps you cozy on chilly fall days. — Jessie Quinn, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2026 This classic crewneck transitions effortlessly from day to night and is light enough to toss into your purse to keep on hand for chilly museum visits or cooler evenings. — Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 19 Sep. 2026 Gomez kept the thong sandals on but paired them with a much more weather-friendly look that was appropriate for a chilly night out in the city. — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for chilly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chilly
  1. chilling
  2. icy
  3. cold
  4. chill
  5. frigid
  6. freezing
  7. bleak
  8. cool
Adjective
  • 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
Definition of chilling
Adjective
  • The dinner capped a long, but friendly, day of meetings and celebrations, as the world’s two most powerful leaders seek to settle trade differences while simultaneously thawing the icy relationship between the United States and China.
    — Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Her icy-gray tresses were elegant yet effortless, but ask any woman who’s ever let her grays grow in — the process is anything but.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of icy
Adjective
  • Yes; there are spa treatments as well as a sauna, cold plunge, and hot tub circuit rooted in a traditional Ahousaht bathing ritual.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Sep. 2026
  • So much of the last season with Charlie [Hunnam] was Charlie [as Ed Gein] in a barn or in a cold house talking to himself.
    — Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of cold
Adjective
  • The group’s trademark sense of space, room for the sax, Sandman’s voice, and ear candy like acoustic guitar, echoey cymbals, and distant piano, and their uniquely chill sense of melody take cente rstage on the song.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The Asics Gel-SlowCush prioritizes comfort while being recommended for recovery runs, low-intensity training or merely chill jaunts.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of chill
Adjective
  • The organic matter was synthesized early, likely out in the frigid outer reaches of the Solar System.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2026
  • That’s a goal worth keeping in mind as the shifting Western alliance navigates global challenges, even in the frigid north.
    — the Monitor's Editorial Board, Christian Science Monitor, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of frigid
Adjective
  • Panic set in as people scrambled for shore, some slipping into the freezing water, others leaping between breaking chunks of ice.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Since tropical hibiscus can’t survive freezing temperatures, they can be grown as annuals or overwinter indoors in cold regions.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of freezing
Adjective
  • Shane Beamer's future looks bleak after Gamecocks blew a 16-0 lead against Mississippi State and lost their sixth straight SEC game.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026
  • In this rain and stiff wind, under a dark sky, from one bleak port to another.
    — Paul Theroux, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of bleak
Adjective
  • Their knee-length, wide-leg fit will keep you cool in transitional weather.
    — Averi Baudler, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2026
  • For the most part, garlic grows best if it’s planted about a week or two after the first killing frost in the fall, followed by exposure to several months of cool weather before the spring season starts.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of cool

Browse Nearby Words

chills out
chilly
chime
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Cite this Entry

“Chilly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chilly. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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