chilly
Americanadjective
-
chillier,
comparative
-
chilliest
superlative
-
mildly cold or producing a sensation of cold; causing shivering; chill.
a chilly breeze.
-
feeling cold; sensitive to cold.
Her hands were chilly.
-
without warmth of feeling; cool.
a chilly reply.
-
producing or likely to produce a feeling of fear; frightening.
He told a chilly story of ghosts and murder.
adverb
adjective
-
causing or feeling cool or moderately cold
-
without warmth; unfriendly
-
(of people) sensitive to cold
Synonym Usage
See cold.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of chilly
Explanation
Did someone leave a window open? It's chilly in here! That word means "cold," and it can also mean that someone's acting in a frosty way. The main meaning of chilly is cold, but this word is often used for emotions too, just like "warm." A warm person is loving and kind, but a chilly person is unemotional, distant, and quiet. Chilly people are often called "aloof" — another word for someone who's not acting like a people person. "After you turned them in for cheating on their homework, they gave you a chilly reception."
Vocabulary lists containing chilly
Wintry Words
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Chill Out! Synonyms for "Cold"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Sula
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He went on to describe what was essentially just a buffet, albeit one with uncommonly excellent seafood, all hauled from chilly waters nearby and eaten at communal tables.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
A grandson of a co-founder of Texaco, Mr. Lloyd grew up lonely and introspective on a 400-acre estate in New Canaan, Conn. His father was chilly and remote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Thursday will start off chilly with mist and fog patches along with frost in places.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Spacious, chilly and cloaked in an earthy scent, they hold hundreds of oak barrels and several towering steel tanks full of maturing wine.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
His eyes made him shiver like a chilly breeze had blown on exposed skin.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
The ocean off of Southern California is also much chillier than along the Gulf Coast and East Coast.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Ads on “cooler screens,” i.e., digital ads projected on the doors of refrigerated cases in supermarkets, get a much chillier reception, with 41% of respondents viewing them negatively, the report found.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
Although much of Southern California is too warm for the fruit, Leona Valley sits at about 3,500 feet elevation, giving it chillier winter nights.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
Next week could bring even chillier weather as winds from a general northerly direction start to dominate.
From BBC ● May 9, 2026
The answer stood out for me sharper and chillier than it ever had before that night: the shape of a Cross etched on the history of the world.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
The actress asked Wintour what she thought of her dress, to which Wintour put on her shades—and her chilliest tone—and said, “And the nominees are.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 16, 2026
This was also the year with the chilliest night - just 4.2C at nearly Yeovilton.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2025
The chilliest, darkest place in the unseen ocean of the soul.
From Salon ● Mar. 22, 2025
The low of 38 marked the chilliest temperature in the District since March 30, when it was 35.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 19, 2022
In chilliest, earliest dawn she rose and dressed.
From Man and Maid by E. (Edith) Nesbit
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
