thrilling

adjective

thrill·​ing ˈthri-liŋ 

: causing a feeling of great excitement or happiness

a thrilling discovery

a thrilling performance

… flashes into the end zone to give the Rams the winning touchdown in the most thrilling Super Bowl finish ever.

—Rick Reilly

thrillingly

ˈthri-liŋ-lē 

adverb

Who, in fact, are the good guys and who are the bad guys in the dramas that unfold here so thrillingly?

—Marie Winn

… this is a powerful and thrillingly strange movie …

—Terrence Rafferty

Synonyms

• breathtaking
• charged
• electric
• electrifying
• exciting
• exhilarating
• exhilarative
• galvanic
• galvanizing
• hair-raising
• heart-stopping
• inspiring
• intoxicating
• kicky
• mind-bending
• mind-blowing
• mind-boggling
• rip-roaring
• rousing
• stimulating
• stirring

Examples of thrilling in a Sentence

a thrilling adventure movie

Recent Examples on the Web

McAfee said, referring to the freshman center’s game-winning shot that sent the Terps to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016 with a thrilling 72-71 victory over Colorado State on Sunday night in Seattle. —C.j. Doon, Baltimore Sun, 26 Mar. 2025

From the rage rap to the 2010s trap, Carti served up a ranging platter showcasing his artistic repertoire across the thrilling 76-minute project. —Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 25 Mar. 2025

And Lamar simply couldn’t be hotter, coming off a big Grammy sweep and a thrilling Super Bowl Halftime Show victory. —Jim Harrington, The Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2025

Oddsmakers, however, still expect the Gators to handle a dangerous Maryland team coming off a thrilling win over Colorado State. —Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1768, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for thrilling

• billing
• chilling
• drilling
• filling
• grilling
• killing
• milling
• pilling
• rilling
• schilling
• shilling
• skilling