chilling

C3H4I1L1L1I1N1G2
/ˈt͡ʃɪlɪŋ/

adjective

Becoming cold.

“It was a chilling story, but the children enjoyed it.”

Similar
Less commonScrabble 14

Meanings

chilling1

adjectivechilling (comparative more chilling, superlative most chilling)

comparative more chilling · superlative most chilling

  1. Becoming cold.

    As they reached the street the ‘Duchess’ caught a swirling hem of lace about her chilling ankles.

    1936, Djuna Barnes, Nightwood, Faber & Faber, published 2007, page 22
  2. Causing cold.
  3. Causing mild fear.

    It was a chilling story, but the children enjoyed it.

    1 more example

    22 March 2012, Scott Tobias, AV Club The Hunger Gameshttp://www.avclub.com/articles/the-hunger-games,71293/ Displaying a sturdy professionalism throughout that stops just short of artistry, director Gary Ross, who co-scripted with Collins and Billy Ray, does his strongest work in the early scenes, which set up the stakes with chilling efficiency.

verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of chill

chilling2

nounchilling (plural chillings)

plural chillings

  1. The act by which something is chilled.

    To such perceivings we give names like these: seeings, hearings, smellings, chillings and burnings, pleasures and pains, desires […]

    2004, Timothy D. J. Chappell, Reading Plato's Theaetetus, page 73

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveprovoking fear or terror

nounthe process of becoming cooler; a falling temperature

Similar
coolingtemperature reduction
Broader
temperature change

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

chilling · adjective, verb

  1. Middle Englishchilling
  2. Englishchilling

From Middle English chilling, chelling, chyllinge, chillynge, chillande, equivalent to chill + -ing.

Full word history & related roots →

chilling · noun

  1. Middle Englishchilling
  2. Englishchilling

From Middle English chilling, chillyng, chyllynge, equivalent to chill + -ing.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic مرعبه, مخيف
  • مرعبهcausing mild fear
  • مخيفcausing mild fear
  • زاحفcausing mild fear
Catalan refrescant, esgarrifós
  • refrescantcausing cold
  • esgarrifóscausing mild fear
  • glaçadorcausing mild fear
Danish skræmmende, uhyggelig
  • skræmmendecausing mild fear
  • uhyggeligcausing mild fear
Finnish viilenevä, jäähtyvä
  • viileneväbecoming cold
  • jäähtyväbecoming cold
  • palelevabecoming cold
  • viilentäväcausing cold
  • jäähdyttäväcausing cold
  • pelottavacausing mild fear
French effrayant
  • effrayantcausing mild fear
German gruselig, unheimlich
  • gruseligcausing mild fear
  • unheimlichcausing mild fear
  • grauenerregendcausing mild fear
Italian spaventoso
  • spaventosocausing mild fear
Portuguese aterrorizante
  • aterrorizantecausing mild fear
Spanish escalofriante, espeluznante
  • escalofriantecausing mild fear
  • espeluznantecausing mild fear
Swedish kylning, läskigt
  • kylningcausing cold
  • läskigtcausing mild fear

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with chilling

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

chilling. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chilling

MLA

“chilling.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chilling. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chilling,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chilling.

Source: chilling on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.