: gravely disturbing or frightening
a chilling case of abuse
chilling
2 of 2present participle of chill entry 3
Synonyms
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
Jeffery Vacante, Hartford Courant, 19 Jan. 2025
This dark, enigmatic film is a chilling meditation on memory, identity, and guilt, wrapped in Lynch’s trademark unsettling style.
—Darryn King, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
The film was at certain times a chilling representation of fear, trauma, and death, but at others hauntingly lovely and funny.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2025
This time, Trump’s offer was accompanied by a chilling threat of US military force, or at least a refusal by the next US commander-in-chief to rule it out.
—Matthew Chance, CNN, 16 Jan. 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
There is surely something chilling about the idea of billionaires talking openly and even gleefully about their wish to eliminate the jobs of some public sector workers and to freeze the salaries of others.
—Jeffery Vacante, Hartford Courant, 19 Jan. 2025
This dark, enigmatic film is a chilling meditation on memory, identity, and guilt, wrapped in Lynch’s trademark unsettling style.
—Darryn King, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
The film was at certain times a chilling representation of fear, trauma, and death, but at others hauntingly lovely and funny.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2025
This time, Trump’s offer was accompanied by a chilling threat of US military force, or at least a refusal by the next US commander-in-chief to rule it out.
—Matthew Chance, CNN, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for chilling
Dictionary Entries Near chilling
Cite this Entry
“Chilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chilling. Accessed 24 Jan. 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