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
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Chill Out! Synonyms for "Cold"
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Sula
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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:
On a chilly Saturday morning in December 1976, postman Nigel Rossiter pulled up outside the isolated Ffynon Samson farmhouse in west Wales.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
I have a photo of my mother at the Bowl on a chilly 1940s evening sporting, like other ladies around her in the inexpensive bleachers, her mink stole.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
She chose to spend her final days at the same family farmhouse near Cleveland whose chilly drafts she once fled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Men, women and children are forced into a few tents during the chilly winter nights as they wait for buses to arrive.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
But still, every time Zara's eyes met mine, I almost felt something chilly pass over me, like how seeing a ghost is supposed to give you goose bumps.
From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee
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
With high pressure centred to the west of the UK, winds will mainly come from that chillier northerly direction.
From BBC ● May 9, 2026
With spooky season in full swing, curating fall vibes is essential to truly enjoying our chillier months.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2025
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
From butternut squash soup to pizza to fall pasta recipes galore, these mains and sides will get you through the chilliest months of the year.
From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2022
And, more importantly, they told Ru something about Aquaria herself — in this case, that there was humor to be found even in the chilliest and unlikeliest of places.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2022
I didn't dare to look at him—until Aunt Jane said, in her chilliest manner: "I trust your daughter had good lessons, Charles."
From Mary Marie by Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter
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.
