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Synonyms

chilling

American  
[chil-ing] / ˈtʃɪl ɪŋ /

adjective

  1. causing or likely to cause a chill.

    the chilling effect of the high unemployment rate.

Etymology

Origin of chilling

chill + -ing 2

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.

Fifa offical Heimo Schirgi said: "The NJ Transit current pricing model will have a chilling effect."

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

Anyone who has spent any time in the digital agora will know the chilling feeling of seeing some supposedly secret thing about yourself suddenly reflected in a targeted advertisement.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

These images are no mere jeremiads but chilling depictions of suffering—both mental and physical—that bring to mind the most haunting works of Otto Dix, Max Beckmann and Käthe Kollwitz.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Gonzalez’s case isn’t over, but it has already sent a chilling message.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026

Instead, he lowered his head and fixed me with his chilling gaze.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

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.