: gravely disturbing or frightening
a chilling case of abuse
chilling
2 of 2present participle of chill entry 3
Examples of chilling in a Sentence
Adjective
a Southern visitor who was unused to the chilling air of a Northeast winter
Recent Examples on the Web
Alex Ritman, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
The biggest break in the case came earlier this week, when chilling video from her porch was recovered and showed a suspect approaching her home during the window when authorities say she was likely taken.
—Liz Kreutz, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
Gaza showed how power brokers from the White House on down seem eager for pretexts to punish dissent in ways that create a chilling effect, and that the hottest rhetoric from activists can be exactly that pretext.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
In one of the most chilling images of the massacre, dozens of corpses executed by the police were lined up on the ground in a public square.
—Evandro Cruz Silva, The Dial, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for chilling
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
The second feature from Finnish director Bergolm and shot in Lithuania, the chilling supernatural horror follows a couple, Saga (Seida Haarla) and Jon (Grint), who move to an isolated house in the forest.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
The biggest break in the case came earlier this week, when chilling video from her porch was recovered and showed a suspect approaching her home during the window when authorities say she was likely taken.
—Liz Kreutz, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
Gaza showed how power brokers from the White House on down seem eager for pretexts to punish dissent in ways that create a chilling effect, and that the hottest rhetoric from activists can be exactly that pretext.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
In one of the most chilling images of the massacre, dozens of corpses executed by the police were lined up on the ground in a public square.
—Evandro Cruz Silva, The Dial, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for chilling
Cite this Entry
“Chilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chilling. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
chilling
adjective
chill·ing
ˈchil-iŋ 
: very disturbing or frightening
a chilling case of abuse
chillingly
adverb
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
