: gravely disturbing or frightening
a chilling case of abuse
chilling
2 of 2present participle of chill entry 3
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
Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 3 May 2025
What was so chilling about Adolescence, after all, was the implication that its protagonist could have been any angry boy in the world.
—Judy Berman, Time, 2 May 2025
With its chilling new lineup and bold international scope, the Fantastic Pavilion is staking its claim as the soul of genre cinema at Cannes.
—Jamie Lang, Variety, 2 May 2025
The preview gives you the chilling premise of 27 children disappearing in the middle of the night, all from the same class, and a town in panic because of it.
—Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chilling
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.
Adjective
The chilling effects, while hard to measure, are evident after Trump’s first 100 days in office, according to press freedom groups like the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 3 May 2025
What was so chilling about Adolescence, after all, was the implication that its protagonist could have been any angry boy in the world.
—Judy Berman, Time, 2 May 2025
With its chilling new lineup and bold international scope, the Fantastic Pavilion is staking its claim as the soul of genre cinema at Cannes.
—Jamie Lang, Variety, 2 May 2025
The preview gives you the chilling premise of 27 children disappearing in the middle of the night, all from the same class, and a town in panic because of it.
—Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chilling
Cite this Entry
“Chilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chilling. Accessed 11 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
chilling
adjective
chill·ing
ˈchil-iŋ 
: very disturbing or frightening
a chilling case of abuse
chillingly
adverb
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share