- present participle of thrill.
thrilling
Americanadjective
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producing sudden, strong, and deep emotion or excitement.
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producing a tremor, as by chilling.
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vibrating; trembling; quivering.
adjective
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very exciting or stimulating
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vibrating or trembling
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of thrilling
Explanation
When something is thrilling, it makes you feel excited or exhilarated. Roller coasters are thrilling for some people—other people just find them nauseating. If your heart is beating fast and you feel absolutely elated, something thrilling is happening. Some of us find it thrilling to speak in front of a crowd or to dive into a cold lake. It's also thrilling to see your favorite movie star in person or to get a poem published in a magazine. The adjective thrilling comes from the verb thrill, which originally meant "pierce," and later "give a shivering excitement" or "pierce with emotion."
Vocabulary lists containing thrilling
List 1
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Amazing
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Amazing, List 1
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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.
“It’s really thrilling to see the way he inhabits this stuff onstage,” he adds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
A thrilling playoff game versus Milwaukee turns on a collision between a possible home run and the roof.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Ride a thrilling, creature-heavy makeover of Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout! in Disney California Adventure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The NFL produced another thrilling day of action on Sunday with a shock for the defending champions as five teams maintained their unbeaten record this season.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
His closeness would have been thrilling, if not for the fear that wreaked havoc on my nerves and twisted my stomach into knots.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
