What does "chill" mean?
A moderate, but uncomfortable and penetrating coldness.
Chill
/t͡ʃɪl/ adj, contraction, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, contraction, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A moderate, but uncomfortable and penetrating coldness.
- Grammar: chill is listed as adj, contraction, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: abscess, absolute zero, abstracted, ache.
- Useful contrasts: preheated, sweltering, agitate.
- Usage evidence: The chill of coming winter discouraged our picnic.
How to use "chill"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "chill" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "chill" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "chill" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "chill" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "chill" is acting as adj, contraction, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abscess" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "chill", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A moderate, but uncomfortable and penetrating coldness. countable, uncountable
"There was a chill in the air."
- 2 coldness due to a cold environment wordnet
- 3 A sudden penetrating sense of cold, especially one that causes a brief trembling nerve response through the body; the trembling response itself; often associated with illness: fevers and chills, or susceptibility to illness. countable, uncountable
"Close the window or you'll catch a chill."
- 4 an almost pleasurable sensation of fright wordnet
- 5 An uncomfortable and numbing sense of fear, dread, anxiety, or alarm, often one that is sudden and usually accompanied by a trembling nerve response resembling the body's response to biting cold. countable, uncountable
"Despite the heat, he felt a chill as he entered the crime scene."
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 a sudden numbing dread wordnet
- 7 An iron mould or portion of a mould, serving to cool rapidly, and so to harden, the surface of molten iron brought in contact with it. countable, uncountable
- 8 a sensation of cold that often marks the start of an infection and the development of a fever wordnet
- 9 The hardened part of a casting, such as the tread of a carriage wheel. countable, uncountable
- 10 A lack of warmth and cordiality; unfriendliness. countable, uncountable
"However, the chill between the two giants did not last long; every constituency except the Westernizers found virtue in warming up to China."
- 11 Calmness; equanimity. countable, uncountable
"For those of us who relate to that furious paddling in some form (whether we choose to conceal it below the surface or not), we are probably also aware of what, besides the water, we are really clashing against: a culture of chill."
- 12 A sense of style; trendiness; savoir faire. countable, uncountable
"Will and Grace still have no chill; having a pillow fight in the Oval Office proves that."
- 13 A chilling effect; an atmosphere of this. countable, uncountable
"It was a courageous move by these activists, still living in the chill of the Cold War, to face red-baiting for holding protests that turned Washington's charges against the Cuban Revolution back on the U.S. government."
Verb
- 1 To lower the temperature of something; to cool. transitive
"Chill before serving."
- 2 loose heat wordnet
- 3 To become cold. intransitive
"In the wind he chilled quickly."
- 4 make cool or cooler wordnet
- 5 To harden a metal surface by sudden cooling. transitive
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 depress or discourage wordnet
- 7 To become hard by rapid cooling. intransitive
- 8 To relax; to lie back; to take things easy. intransitive, slang
"Chill, man, we've got a whole week to do it; no sense in getting worked up."
- 9 To "hang", hang out; to spend time with another person or group. intransitive, slang
"Hey, we should chill this weekend."
- 10 To smoke marijuana. intransitive, slang
"On Friday night do you wanna chill?"
- 11 To discourage, depress. figuratively, transitive
"Censorship chills public discourse."
Adjective
- 1 Moderately cold or chilly.
"A chill wind was blowing down the street."
- 2 Unwelcoming; not cordial.
"Arriving late at the wedding, we were met with a chill reception."
- 3 Calm, relaxed, easygoing. slang
"The teacher is really chill and doesn't care if you use your phone during class."
- 4 "Cool"; meeting a certain hip standard or garnering the approval of a certain peer group. slang
"That new movie was chill, man."
- 5 Okay, not a problem. slang
"Sorry about that. —It's chill."
Contraction
- 1 I will West-Country, contraction, obsolete
"Chill not let go, zir, without vurther 'casion"
Proper Noun
- 1 Acronym of CCITT High Level Language. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 2 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The chill of coming winter discouraged our picnic."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "chill"?
Common synonyms include: abscess, absolute zero, abstracted, ache, aching, affectless.
How do you use "chill" in a sentence?
The chill of coming winter discouraged our picnic.
How do you pronounce "chill"?
Pronounced /t͡ʃɪl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English chele, chile, from Old English ċiele, ċele (“cold; coldness”), from Proto-West Germanic *kali, from Proto-Germanic *kaliz, from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to be cold”). Closely related with Dutch kil. Also akin to cool, cold, gel, and congeal, which see.
Etymology 2
From Middle English chillen, from Old English ċilian (“to be cold”), from Proto-West Germanic *kilēn (“to be cold”). Cognate with Middle Dutch killen (“to be cold”), Dutch killen (“to be cold, shiver”).
Etymology 3
From Middle English ichille, equivalent to ch- + will, from ich + will.
Etymology 4
Variant of Child.