as in terrifying
causing fear
the soldiers let out a spine-chilling yell just before charging the enemy
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Recent Examples of spine-chilling
Neither is well-received, which Dippold says is its own brand of spine-chilling nightmare.
—
Hunter Ingram, Variety, 27 May 2026
Eloise Asylum in Westland is part history, part entertainment and all spine-chilling.
—Nour Rahal, Freep.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Experience spine-chilling thrills in Scare Zones and the all-new maze Order of the Dragon.
—Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 28 Sep. 2025
Set in a fictional town wrapped in mystery and spine-chilling traditions, Mandala Murders is a blend of mythology and crime thriller genres.
—Sweta Kaushal, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
In the three years since the war started, locals have gotten used to the spine-chilling sound of the sirens and mostly ignore it.
—IEEE Spectrum, 18 May 2025
But rather than dilute the scare factor, the humor makes the sense of doom only more pitiless and Orlok’s plans for Ellen more spine-chilling.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Dec. 2024
This complex dress featured a mannequin-like attachment on the back, making for the ultimate spine-chilling moment.
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 25 Jan. 2024
Her phrasing and breath control of the most difficult passages seemed effortless, and her high notes were spine-chilling.
—Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 July 2023
Hunter Ingram, Variety, 27 May 2026
Eloise Asylum in Westland is part history, part entertainment and all spine-chilling.
—Nour Rahal, Freep.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Experience spine-chilling thrills in Scare Zones and the all-new maze Order of the Dragon.
—Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 28 Sep. 2025
Set in a fictional town wrapped in mystery and spine-chilling traditions, Mandala Murders is a blend of mythology and crime thriller genres.
—Sweta Kaushal, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
In the three years since the war started, locals have gotten used to the spine-chilling sound of the sirens and mostly ignore it.
—IEEE Spectrum, 18 May 2025
But rather than dilute the scare factor, the humor makes the sense of doom only more pitiless and Orlok’s plans for Ellen more spine-chilling.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Dec. 2024
This complex dress featured a mannequin-like attachment on the back, making for the ultimate spine-chilling moment.
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 25 Jan. 2024
Her phrasing and breath control of the most difficult passages seemed effortless, and her high notes were spine-chilling.
—Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 July 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spine-chilling
Adjective
-
The series follows the residents of a remote island town called Widow’s Bay, just off the coast of New England, that just so happens to be cursed and haunted with all manner of terrifying things.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
-
The premise sees the town’s citizens coming around a campfire and spilling the beans on some of most terrifying deeds.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
What began as a quiet evening quickly turned frightening after the couple climbed onto the jetty rocks to look for shells and crabs.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
-
By the time of The Social Reckoning, a website that was once used to rate the attractiveness of women has gone on to disrupt global politics on a frightening scale.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
But the idea of transferring to a new school was scary.—
Susan Svrluga,
Washington Post,
15 June 2026
-
It's been scary, and it's been really hard to navigate.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
After another solid season in 2021, injuries and sub-par play eventually led to an exit from the NFL, but Robinson has made a pretty formidable case for a return with his play in his UFL debut campaign.—
Juan Carlos Blanco,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
-
Studio had some formidable shoes to fill, replacing the eponymous and long-beloved French fine-dining institution that had defined special-occasion fine dining in Laguna Beach for more than twenty years.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
The companies try to slow down this process by submerging it in oil, but the resulting flavor is horrible.—
Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner,
Martha Stewart,
13 June 2026
-
Your cab driver is taking you on a horrible route.—
Zach Schiffman,
Curbed,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
In 2012, a powerful quake visited terrible damage on the city of Modena, Bottura’s home and host to his restaurant.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
The letter writer’s cousin has cancer, and the chemo gives her terrible side effects.—
Eric Thomas,
Sun Sentinel,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spine-chilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spine-chilling. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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