: 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
Brennan Long,
Southern Living,
3 July 2026
Bell on Wednesday reaffirmed his support for Florida’s institutional neutrality policies, which discourages university leaders from taking official positions on political issues in an effort to avoid chilling debate among students and faculty.
—
Garrett Shanley,
Miami Herald,
1 July 2026
Our stories often center on the chilling reality of state and religious interference in the lives of the vulnerable.
—
Literary Hub,
1 July 2026
Soon, a chilling report began circulating among family and friends.
—
Mery Mogollón,
Los Angeles Times,
30 June 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
Made-from-scratch cheesecake doesn’t seem so hard when made as cupcakes where there’s no water bath, springform pan, and long chilling time required.
—
Brennan Long,
Southern Living,
3 July 2026
Bell on Wednesday reaffirmed his support for Florida’s institutional neutrality policies, which discourages university leaders from taking official positions on political issues in an effort to avoid chilling debate among students and faculty.
—
Garrett Shanley,
Miami Herald,
1 July 2026
Our stories often center on the chilling reality of state and religious interference in the lives of the vulnerable.
—
Literary Hub,
1 July 2026
Soon, a chilling report began circulating among family and friends.
—
Mery Mogollón,
Los Angeles Times,
30 June 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 5 Jul. 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
