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
Derived 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, 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.
And the shares seem to trade higher with each subsequent night of Jalen Brunson heroics—they rose 2% to a fresh record last Thursday following the Knicks’ thrilling Game 1 win.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
As thrilling as it was to immerse myself in American sports, English football was my foundational text.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
"When the script came through, I read it in one go in a rush and it was thrilling, it felt so needed as it's a film about hope and humanity and understanding."
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
Our must-read books for June include gripping new fiction from Dave Eggers and James Ellroy, buzzy celebrity memoirs, thrilling true stories and a few escapist beach reads.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026
From 1934 to 1938 she flew in a display squadron that performed thrilling aerobatic tricks.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
