chilling effect
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of chilling effect
First recorded in 1965–70
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.
This had a chilling effect on tech-loving individual investors.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026
But it’s also likely to have a chilling effect on one of its hyperscaler peers, according to Jason Helfstein, head of internet research at Oppenheimer.
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
In law and social science, we call this impact a chilling effect – the behavioral tendency for people in face of a threat to self-censor and restrain their activities for self-protection.
From Salon • May 28, 2026
"What chilling effect does that have on the world we live in? You don't like what a public official does and you make a joke, and you're dragged into court?"
From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026
But never had a pariah had such a chilling effect on bringers of death.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Definitions 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.
