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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.

"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

Still, the mere invocation of license revocation has a powerful chilling effect.

From Salon • Mar. 17, 2026

Gomez added that while attempts to pull licenses border on folly, Carr’s threats and attacks on the media can create a chilling effect and erode the public’s confidence in the press.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026

A number of charts suggest the financial sector is suffering through a bearish technical breakdown, and that could send a chilling signal for the rest of the stock market.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 14, 2026

Will’s fleshy face contorted and a memory swept over him like a chilling wind.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

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.