chilly

adjective

ˈchi-lē How to pronounce chilly (audio)
Definition of chillynext
1
as in chilling
uncomfortably cool those chilly nights when a warm fire can be especially comforting

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in icy
lacking in friendliness or warmth of feeling a chilly glare directed at the person who tried to go to the head of the line

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in cold
having a low or subnormal temperature a chilly spring morning

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of chilly Lightweight blankets are soft and comfortable for curling up on a chilly evening. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026 Rowers pushed through a rainy and chilly start Friday morning while fans in ponchos and raincoats cheered them on. — Anna Meiler, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026 Been a chilly reception to bank earnings this week, even when the prints were good. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026 Wide-leg pants land right in the middle, offering full coverage for a chilly cabin with a loose, airy silhouette that won’t cling to your legs when temperatures rise. — Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for chilly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chilly
  1. chilling
  2. icy
  3. cold
  4. chill
  5. frigid
  6. freezing
  7. bleak
  8. cool
Adjective
  • Neither maudlin nor melodramatic, and without any glorification, the song is infected by the same chilling gloom which has glommed onto the best of Messrs Linkous, Berman, and Drake.
    — Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
  • As Hal puts it the next morning, the chilling effect is very effective.
    — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of chilling
Adjective
  • In winter, some wetlands become more accessible as thick, spongelike layers of organic-rich peat freeze solid and become strong enough to support snow machines on their icy surfaces.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Set against the Swiss Alps, the story follows an Englishman (Spall) found barely alive in an icy mountain stream by local woman Alma (Deleila Piasko) and her young son, Franz.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of icy
Adjective
  • That level of pure confidence while talking to the person with cold, hard footage is what makes Lisa Barlow the perfect Real Housewife.
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Shea’s supervisor confronted her when Shea’s findings in a cold case could not be replicated.
    — Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of cold
Adjective
  • The group’s trademark sense of space, room for the sax, Sandman’s voice, and ear candy like acoustic guitar, echoey cymbals, and distant piano, and their uniquely chill sense of melody take cente rstage on the song.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The Asics Gel-SlowCush prioritizes comfort while being recommended for recovery runs, low-intensity training or merely chill jaunts.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of chill
Adjective
  • This unique trait has led planetary scientists to hypothesize that the asteroid formed in the frigid outer solar system and migrated inward early in the solar system's history.
    — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The arid and sublime West, the sunny South, the frigid Midwest or the dense East — populations ebb and flow in each.
    — Washington Post Opinions, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of frigid
Adjective
  • And the moist, insulated microclimate under leaf litter is also critical for terrestrial amphibians, including frogs and salamanders, to survive freezing temperatures.
    — Manjot Kaur Sidhu, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Toward the end of the freezing time, preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center position.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of freezing
Adjective
  • Unlike Gregor Samsa who is confined to his room after transforming into a huge insect, the protagonist still has to go to work, a dark and bleak absurdity that lays bare the alienation, isolation, and hypocrisy of modern life.
    — Deadline, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Providing a faint ray of hope in this otherwise bleak start to life, the five baby orangutans have been settling into their new surroundings in Odisha at the Nandankanan Zoo.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of bleak
Adjective
  • All 150 king rooms have private terraces, with pale woods and décor in cool taupe shades, while some of the suites have plunge pools, private gardens or two bedrooms.
    — Siobhan Grogan, TheWeek, 12 Oct. 2026
  • RedMagic, for example, uses a 3D vapor chamber with a composite liquid metal and a fan to keep the 11S Pro gaming phone running cool.
    — Eric Zeman, PC Magazine, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of cool

Browse Nearby Words

chills out
chilly
chime
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chilly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chilly. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All