thrilling

adjective

thrill·​ing ˈthri-liŋ How to pronounce thrilling (audio)
: causing a feeling of great excitement or happiness
a thrilling discovery
a thrilling performance
… flashes into the end zone to give the Rams the winning touchdown in the most thrilling Super Bowl finish ever.Rick Reilly
thrillingly adverb
Who, in fact, are the good guys and who are the bad guys in the dramas that unfold here so thrillingly? Marie Winn
… this is a powerful and thrillingly strange movie … Terrence Rafferty

Examples of thrilling in a Sentence

a thrilling adventure movie
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
With a playoff spot on the line, the intensity will be on full tilt in this thrilling matchup between the Mavericks and Grizzlies. Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Apr. 2025 The Denver Nuggets are back in the playoffs for their seventh consecutive season, facing an overhauled version of a familiar postseason foe in the Los Angeles Clippers, who Denver knocked out in 2020 in a thrilling second round comeback from a deficit of three games to one. Joel Rush, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2025 The Prestige is a thrilling and effective sleight of hand, reveling in its use of identical twins as a last-second shock: a dirty little secret best left in the dark, wielded by these brothers who live in the shadows to pull off the ultimate illusion. Barry Levitt, Vulture, 18 Apr. 2025 With surprising stories and daring craft, these films offer a thrilling glimpse into the future of independent cinema. Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for thrilling

Word History

First Known Use

1768, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of thrilling was in 1768

Cite this Entry

“Thrilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thrilling. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on thrilling

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!