chilling

adjective

chill·​ing ˈchi-liŋ How to pronounce chilling (audio)
: gravely disturbing or frightening
a chilling case of abuse
chillingly adverb

Examples of chilling in a Sentence

a Southern visitor who was unused to the chilling air of a Northeast winter
Recent Examples on the Web The fanatics and fundamentalists who tell us straight that all Palestinians deserve to die are chilling, but honest. Hazlitt, 6 Mar. 2024 These offices, created at hundreds of schools across the country in recent decades, were intended to address claims of discrimination on campuses but have been accused of chilling unpopular speech — particularly by conservatives. Rachel Weiner, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2024 For many students, higher education has historically filled in the blanks yet because of the chilling effect caused by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ legislation aimed at dictating how professors can teach, HBCUs like FMU could become Florida’s safest space to have honest discussions about Black history. C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024 This is evident in his decades-long body of work, from his early performance as Cuban author Reinaldo Arenas in Before Night Falls to his chilling, Oscar-winning portrayal of Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men. Hemal Jhaveri, WIRED, 29 Feb. 2024 Especially in slow-moving B2B markets, the result is a distinct chilling effect. Seth Joseph, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Financially illiterate environmental activism is also having a chilling effect on companies. Camille Fumard, Fortune Europe, 22 Feb. 2024 Any major protest is virtually impossible under the chilling effect after the existing security law was introduced. Kanis Leung, Quartz, 28 Feb. 2024 That chilling mantra, expressed a decade ago by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, has since become the terrorist outfit’s unofficial motto. Noah Rothman, National Review, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chilling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chilling was in 1815

Dictionary Entries Near chilling

Cite this Entry

“Chilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chilling. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

chilling

adjective
chill·​ing ˈchil-iŋ How to pronounce chilling (audio)
: very disturbing or frightening
a chilling case of abuse
chillingly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on chilling

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