Standard Lemma guide

chilly

adj · noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈt͡ʃɪli/
  • Received-Pronunciation: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪli
  • homophone: Chile
  • homophone: chile
  • homophone: chili
  • homophone: chilli
  • CMU ARPABET: CH IH1 L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Cold enough to cause discomfort.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Feeling uncomfortably cold.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I’m getting rather chilly over here – could you shut the window please?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Distant and cool; unfriendly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Examples

  • She gave me a chilly look when I made the suggestion.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Alternative spelling of chili.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, alternative

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

not characterized by emotion-C.W.Cunningham

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a female form in marble--a chilly but ideal medium for depicting abstract virtues

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

lacking warmth of feeling

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a chilly greeting

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

appreciably or disagreeably cold

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: parky

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

very hot and finely tapering pepper of special pungency

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: chili, chili pepper, chilli, chile

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: hot pepper

Narrower terms: jalapeno, jalapeno pepper, cayenne, cayenne pepper

History

Etymology

From chill + -y. Cognate with Swedish kylig (“chilly”), Norwegian kjølig (“chilly”).

See chili.

Across languages

Translations

71 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: халаднава́ты (xaladnaváty) — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Bulgarian: студе́н (studén) — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Bulgarian: мразовит (mrazovit) — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Chinese Mandarin: 寒冷 (hánlěng) — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Chinese Mandarin: 清涼 /清凉 (qīngliáng) — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Czech: sychravý — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Danish: kølig — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Dutch: kil — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Dutch: fris — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Esperanto: malvarma — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Finnish: kylmä — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Finnish: kolea — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Finnish: jäätävä — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • French: froid — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Galician: frío — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Galician: fría — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • German: kalt — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • German: kühl — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Greek: κρύος (krýos) — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Greek: ψυχρός (psychrós) — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Japanese: 肌寒い — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Japanese: 寒い (samui) — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Korean: 쌀쌀하다 (ssalssalhada) — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Latin: algeo — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Latin: frigeo — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Macedonian: студен (studen) — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Macedonian: ладен (laden) — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Portuguese: frio — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Romanian: friguros — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Russian: прохла́дный (proxládnyj) — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Russian: холо́дный (xolódnyj) — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Russian: зя́бкий (zjábkij) — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Russian: холоднова́тый (xolodnovátyj) — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Russian: промо́зглый (promózglyj) — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Scottish Gaelic: fionnar — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Spanish: frío — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Swedish: kylig — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Turkish: {{t+|1=tr|2=soğuk}} — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Ottoman Turkish: صوغوق (soğuk) — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Ottoman Turkish: بارد (barid) — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Ukrainian: прохоло́дний (proxolódnyj) — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Vietnamese: lạnh — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Vietnamese: lạnh lẽo — cold enough to cause discomfort
  • Bulgarian: студе́н (studén) — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • Bulgarian: отблъскващ (otblǎskvašt) — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • Chinese Mandarin: 冷淡 (lěngdàn) — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • Dutch: koel — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • Finnish: jäätävä — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • German: frostig — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • Greek: ψυχρός (psychrós) — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • Greek: παγερός (pagerós) — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • Japanese: 冷たい (tsumetai) — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • Latin: hostilis — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • Macedonian: студен (studen) — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • Macedonian: ладен (laden) — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • Macedonian: недруштвен (nedruštven) — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • Macedonian: рамнодушен (ramnodušen) — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • Macedonian: недружељубив (nedruželjubiv) — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • Portuguese: frígido — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • Portuguese: gélido — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • Portuguese: frio — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • Russian: холо́дный (xolódnyj) — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • Russian: равноду́шный (ravnodúšnyj) — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • Russian: неприве́тливый (neprivétlivyj) — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • Russian: недружелю́бный (nedruželjúbnyj) — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • Scottish Gaelic: fionnar — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • Spanish: frío — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • Swedish: kylig — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • Turkish: {{t+|1=tr|2=soğuk}} — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • Ottoman Turkish: صوغوق (soğuk) — distant and cool; unfriendly
  • Ottoman Turkish: بارد (barid) — distant and cool; unfriendly
Real reading context

chilly in complete knowledge articles