as in terrifying
causing fear
the soldiers let out a spine-chilling yell just before charging the enemy
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Recent Examples of spine-chilling
Eloise Asylum in Westland is part history, part entertainment and all spine-chilling.
—
Nour Rahal, Freep.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Experience spine-chilling thrills in Scare Zones and the all-new maze Order of the Dragon.
—Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 28 Sep. 2025
Set in a fictional town wrapped in mystery and spine-chilling traditions, Mandala Murders is a blend of mythology and crime thriller genres.
—Sweta Kaushal, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
In the three years since the war started, locals have gotten used to the spine-chilling sound of the sirens and mostly ignore it.
—IEEE Spectrum, 18 May 2025
But rather than dilute the scare factor, the humor makes the sense of doom only more pitiless and Orlok’s plans for Ellen more spine-chilling.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Dec. 2024
This complex dress featured a mannequin-like attachment on the back, making for the ultimate spine-chilling moment.
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 25 Jan. 2024
Her phrasing and breath control of the most difficult passages seemed effortless, and her high notes were spine-chilling.
—Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 July 2023
Nour Rahal, Freep.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Experience spine-chilling thrills in Scare Zones and the all-new maze Order of the Dragon.
—Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 28 Sep. 2025
Set in a fictional town wrapped in mystery and spine-chilling traditions, Mandala Murders is a blend of mythology and crime thriller genres.
—Sweta Kaushal, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
In the three years since the war started, locals have gotten used to the spine-chilling sound of the sirens and mostly ignore it.
—IEEE Spectrum, 18 May 2025
But rather than dilute the scare factor, the humor makes the sense of doom only more pitiless and Orlok’s plans for Ellen more spine-chilling.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Dec. 2024
This complex dress featured a mannequin-like attachment on the back, making for the ultimate spine-chilling moment.
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 25 Jan. 2024
Her phrasing and breath control of the most difficult passages seemed effortless, and her high notes were spine-chilling.
—Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 July 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spine-chilling
Adjective
-
The terrifying cadence of airstrikes shapes daily life in Tehran.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
But beneath the ice, something terrifying has awakened.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The idea of frightening children into basic courtesy scares Miss Manners.—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Mar. 2026
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Facing the future may mean confronting difficult questions and frightening scenarios.—
Kat McGowan,
NPR,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Wallner and second baseman Luke Keaschall had a scary collision in the eighth inning on a pop fly to right by Salvador Perez that Keaschall caught.—
David Brown,
Twin Cities,
30 Mar. 2026
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Especially one that features Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Martin Necas, Nazem Kadri, Brock Nelson, Val Nichushkin and Nicolas Roy, all at the same time, a legitimately scary roster that goes four lines and two goaltenders deep.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Yahoo will be competing against a familiar foil in Google, which remains the same formidable force that spelled the company's demise 20 years ago and has been progressively layering more AI into its search engine with its Gemini technology.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
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Then finding the players who can execute them has made UConn the sport’s most formidable force.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
This is going to be a horrible, terrible, no-good, very bad day.—
Nathan Rott,
NPR,
27 Mar. 2026
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In another case, a 10-year-old girl contracted horrible lesions on 10 percent of her body — mostly on her legs — after contact with giant hogweed.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
This is a terrible blow against reform and the Dems should be ashamed.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Here are five novels that have been tied to terrible crimes.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spine-chilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spine-chilling. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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