as in terrifying
causing fear
the soldiers let out a spine-chilling yell just before charging the enemy
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Recent Examples of spine-chilling
Eloise Asylum in Westland is part history, part entertainment and all spine-chilling.
—
Nour Rahal, Freep.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Experience spine-chilling thrills in Scare Zones and the all-new maze Order of the Dragon.
—Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 28 Sep. 2025
Set in a fictional town wrapped in mystery and spine-chilling traditions, Mandala Murders is a blend of mythology and crime thriller genres.
—Sweta Kaushal, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
In the three years since the war started, locals have gotten used to the spine-chilling sound of the sirens and mostly ignore it.
—IEEE Spectrum, 18 May 2025
But rather than dilute the scare factor, the humor makes the sense of doom only more pitiless and Orlok’s plans for Ellen more spine-chilling.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Dec. 2024
This complex dress featured a mannequin-like attachment on the back, making for the ultimate spine-chilling moment.
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 25 Jan. 2024
Her phrasing and breath control of the most difficult passages seemed effortless, and her high notes were spine-chilling.
—Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 July 2023
Nour Rahal, Freep.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Experience spine-chilling thrills in Scare Zones and the all-new maze Order of the Dragon.
—Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 28 Sep. 2025
Set in a fictional town wrapped in mystery and spine-chilling traditions, Mandala Murders is a blend of mythology and crime thriller genres.
—Sweta Kaushal, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
In the three years since the war started, locals have gotten used to the spine-chilling sound of the sirens and mostly ignore it.
—IEEE Spectrum, 18 May 2025
But rather than dilute the scare factor, the humor makes the sense of doom only more pitiless and Orlok’s plans for Ellen more spine-chilling.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Dec. 2024
This complex dress featured a mannequin-like attachment on the back, making for the ultimate spine-chilling moment.
—Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 25 Jan. 2024
Her phrasing and breath control of the most difficult passages seemed effortless, and her high notes were spine-chilling.
—Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 July 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spine-chilling
Adjective
-
This isn’t the terrifying Frost of modernist criticism—although the poem is fully aware of darkness, and its world, on the cusp of World War I, like ours, certainly had its terrors.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Most prior visits had morphed into extended trips into a terrifying medical underworld — to a purgatory known as emergency department boarding.—
Elisabeth Rosenthal,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Her Dispatch from the scene captured the moments of frightening confusion as high-ranking members of the government were whisked away from the Washington Hilton, where the event was held.—
Michael Schulman,
New Yorker,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The ultimate scene packs a punch here — without spoiling things, Abigail Onwunali is particularly powerful in a role that Wilson saves till the eleventh hour, and Boone goes to places at once frightening and devastating.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Yes, scarier than the strange dialogue in Reminders of Him.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
27 Apr. 2026
-
However, there was a really scary moment in a Game 4 thriller when one player took a skate blade straight to the face.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Hathaway gets the most fun part to play in this formidable ensemble, starring as egotistical actress Daphne Kluger, who starts as the mark but ends up enlisting among the thieves.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
-
Hekt’s debut album heralds a union between the left-field pop scene of his native Copenhagen and the influential Glasgow label Numbers, whose formidable run of 2010s releases—including several landmark SOPHIE singles—has left a neon imprint on the new Danish vanguard.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
Your cab driver is taking you on a horrible route.—
Zach Schiffman,
Curbed,
24 Apr. 2026
-
There’s enough cop shows, stories about how horrible the world is, enough plot lines that are similar to each other.—
Annika Pham,
Variety,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The delay seemed to Silva like one more indignity in a terrible series of events that began with her husband’s death in 2024.—
Ariane Lange,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The logic here is peak modern NBA, and the league wants to make being slightly below average more rewarding than being truly terrible.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spine-chilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spine-chilling. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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