: 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
Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
Legal scholars have said there is little legal precedent for Trump's war on Big Law, which has created a chilling effect across the legal community, and most will certainly have a chilling effect on his opponents who will need legal representation against him.
—Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 29 Mar. 2025
Domestic Tension is shown as a room reproduced to scale, and though the museum shot far fewer than 65,000 paintballs at its walls, the presence of their yellow residue is chilling.
—Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 28 Mar. 2025
What is particularly chilling about this story is the lack of transparency.
—Cate Martel, The Hill, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chilling
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Adjective
Gateway communities to our national parks understand their economic viability isn't tied to the chilling effects of militarization, but nested in becoming more inclusive communities for all of us.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
Legal scholars have said there is little legal precedent for Trump's war on Big Law, which has created a chilling effect across the legal community, and most will certainly have a chilling effect on his opponents who will need legal representation against him.
—Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 29 Mar. 2025
Domestic Tension is shown as a room reproduced to scale, and though the museum shot far fewer than 65,000 paintballs at its walls, the presence of their yellow residue is chilling.
—Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 28 Mar. 2025
What is particularly chilling about this story is the lack of transparency.
—Cate Martel, The Hill, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chilling
Cite this Entry
“Chilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chilling. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
chilling
adjective
chill·ing
ˈchil-iŋ 
: very disturbing or frightening
a chilling case of abuse
chillingly
adverb
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