chilly

[ chil-ee ]

adjective

, chill·i·er, chill·i·est.

1. mildly cold or producing a sensation of cold; causing shivering; chill:

   a chilly breeze.

2. feeling cold; sensitive to cold:

   Her hands were chilly.

3. without warmth of feeling; cool:

   a chilly reply.

4. producing or likely to produce a feeling of fear; frightening:

   He told a chilly story of ghosts and murder.

adverb

1. Also chill·i·ly []. in a mildly cold manner:

   The wind blew chilly.

chilly

/ ˈtʃɪlɪ /

adjective

1. causing or feeling cool or moderately cold
2. without warmth; unfriendly
3. (of people) sensitive to cold

Derived Forms

• ˈchilliness, noun

Other Words From

• chill·i·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of chilly¹

First recorded in 1560–70; chill + -y ¹

Synonym Study

See cold.

Example Sentences

The reception Wednesday was chilly.

From Salon

Contrails form in the sky in the same way that your breath goes misty on a chilly morning.

From BBC

The temperature is set at a chilly 68-70 degrees, because body heat rises with such strenuous exertion.

From Los Angeles Times

Gilmour and Co. created a beautifully haunting evening for a chilly Los Angeles Halloween.

From Los Angeles Times

No team has ever come back from a three-games-to-none deficit to win a World Series, and the Yankees aren’t going to be the first, not after they were demoralized for a third straight game on a chilly night in front of their loud, profane and ultimately scarf-swallowing fans.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• breezy
• brisk
• cool
• crisp
• freezing
• frosty
• icy
• wintry