chilling effect

plural chilling effects

1. lawA discouraging effect, especially on certain forms of officially legal speech.

   Performance artists whose lawsuit led to yesterday's Supreme Court decision on indecency in the arts expressed disappointment at the ruling, saying they feared it would have a chilling effect on creativity and freedom of expression.

   1998 June 26, Mel Gussow, “Ruling on Indecency Prompts Fears of a Chilling Effect”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

   3 more examples

   A “chilling effect,” a phrase invoked with numbing regularity these days, is the shibboleth that civil libertarians have brandished for a couple of decades against actions that could deter the press from exercising its constitutional freedom.

   1984 December 23, Lester Bernstein, “‘Chilling Effect’ or Fresh Air?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

   Should the decision of Judge Kaplan be upheld and a subpoena be served for Mr. Berlinger’s footage, Mr. Moore said, “The chilling effect of this is, someone like me, if something like this is upheld, the next whistleblower at the next corporation is going to think twice about showing me some documents if that information has to be turned over to the corporation that they’re working for.”

   2010 May 7, Dave Itzkoff, quoting Michael Moore, “Michael Moore Says Judge's Ruling Could Have ‘Chilling Effect’ on Documentaries”, in New York Times

   “It really starts with doctors, because overturning Roe will have a severe chilling effect,” said Lindsay Lewis, co-author of a report by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers that studied the potential criminal effects of ending Roe, and a board member of the same organization.

   2022 May 6, Jessica Glenza, quoting Lindsay Lewis, “‘A severe chilling effect’: abortion bans will inhibit doctors’ advice to patients, experts fear”, in The Guardian

2. Synonym of wind chill.

   Synonyms: wind chill