chilly
Americanadjective
-
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
Related Words
See cold.
Other Word Forms
- chilliness noun
Etymology
Origin of chilly
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.
On a chilly morning, at a petrol station not far from Culiacán, Pulido and a group of other mothers hugged each other before setting out on a search.
From BBC
The air was still chilly, but at least I could breathe without my tongue freezing.
From Literature
![]()
He slipped out of a Zodiac boat and shot a few photos as he bobbed in the chilly sea.
It will also no doubt stop her getting chilly on the red carpet.
From BBC
Friday is expected to be dry but cold, with the possibility of some morning frost in the valleys as temperatures remain chilly.
From Los Angeles Times
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.