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
- thrillingly adverb
- unthrilling adjective
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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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.
John: The joint oldest horse on the race but has enjoyed one of his most fruitful seasons, having won a thrilling Becher Chase over the national fences last December.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
It’s a thrilling example of progressive modernist design.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
Doncic’s brilliant March unified the team behind his most valuable player push, his thrilling shot-making and even his smiling dunk against Washington.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
On the album closer, Strength In Me, she repeats the line "I know I'm gonna survive this" over and over as the music swells in a thrilling crescendo.
From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026
“Most of what I wrote’s what I’d call personal, but I did include some thrilling excerpts from my pirate play. It’s quite a tale, if I do say so myself.”
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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.
