chilling

chilling — adjective

1. so frightening that it makes you feel a cold sense of dread, often because what

1.形容詞B2
釋義

so frightening that it makes you feel a cold sense of dread, often because what you see or hear is connected with violence, death, or cruelty.

例句

The documentary about the prison camp offered a chilling account of what happened there.

collocation: chilling account

Aiko heard a chilling scream from the house next door and immediately called the police.

attributive use: chilling + noun (scream)

同義詞
  • frightening

    more general; chilling implies a colder, more disturbing fear

  • terrifying

    stronger than chilling; suggests intense, immediate fear

  • horrifying

    emphasises shock and disgust at something cruel or violent

  • hair-raising

    informal; suggests excitement as well as fear, as in a scary story

反義詞

文法句型

chilling + noun

linking verb + chilling

用法筆記

Commonly used with nouns that describe reports, stories, sounds, or sights connected to real or fictional violence. The intensifier 'deeply' is a frequent collocation.

常見錯誤

❌The movie was very chilling and also fun.
✅The movie was deeply chilling and left me feeling uneasy.
💡'chilling' does not combine naturally with 'fun'; it describes a disturbing, cold fear, not ordinary scariness.

2. describing a situation where the risk of legal sanctions or social penalties sto

2.形容詞C1
釋義

describing a situation where the risk of legal sanctions or social penalties stops people from speaking openly, using their legal freedoms, or carrying on with everyday life without fear.

例句

The new law had a chilling effect: many journalists stopped covering corruption.

collocation: chilling effect on + noun

Kofi warned that threats to sue critics create a chilling atmosphere for public debate.

collocation: chilling atmosphere

同義詞
  • deterrent

    a noun, not an adjective; describes something that discourages action through fear

  • discouraging

    softer; does not necessarily involve legal consequences

  • inhibiting

    focuses on the internal psychological restraint rather than external threat

反義詞
  • encouraging

    promoting free expression or action

  • enabling

    creating conditions that allow people to act freely

文法句型

chilling + effect / message / signal / warning

用法筆記

Almost always appears before a noun (attributive position). The most common collocation is 'chilling effect', a standard legal term describing how a law or policy discourages the exercise of constitutional rights. This sense is much less common in everyday conversation and belongs mainly to formal legal and political writing.

常見錯誤

❌The cold weather had a chilling effect on our picnic.
✅The threat of fines had a chilling effect on community organising.
💡'chilling effect' in this sense is metaphorical and legal, not about physical cold or casual inconvenience.