bone-chilling

adjective

bone-chill·​ing ˈbōn-ˌchi-liŋ 

: intensely cold

bone-chilling weather

also : penetrating, disturbing, or intense in emotional or physical effect

bone-chilling drama

a bone-chilling wind

Synonyms

• algid
• arctic
• bitter
• chill
• chilly
• cold
• coldish
• cool
• coolish
• freezing
• frigid
• frosty
• gelid
• glacial
• ice-cold
• icy
• nipping
• nippy
• numbing
• polar
• shivery
• snappy
• wintry
• wintery

Examples of bone-chilling in a Sentence

we stood in line for hours in the bone-chilling weather

Recent Examples on the Web

The sounds of guttural growls and bone-chilling howls will once again echo throughout the pitch-black forest outside a Bavarian village when a new roller coaster with a familiar name and glowing red eyes returns to Busch Gardens Williamsburg. —Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 11 Apr. 2025

Just leave your inability to suspend biblical amounts of disbelief at the door, and prepare to experience the absolute bone-chilling horror that is a constantly pinging smartphone. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2025

Viewers are given a bone-chilling look into an online subculture that is having a dangerous impact on young boys. —Samantha Mann, Parents, 8 Apr. 2025

The four words echoed, bone-chilling in their sentence order. —Tj MacIas, Kansas City Star, 18 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1861, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bone-chilling

• backfilling
• distilling
• fulfilling
• infilling
• instilling
• refilling
• sawmilling
• unwilling
• billing
• chilling
• drilling
• filling