bone chilling

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "bone chilling" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to describe something that is cold enough to send a physical chill through your body, usually related to the weather. For example, "The bone chilling wind made it impossible to stay outside for long."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

Bone chilling, indeed.

Huffington Post

The coldest record set was a bone chilling minus 18°F in Laona, Wis.

Huffington Post

Look at Bashar al-Assad's bone chilling interview from this week.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

The effect is bone-chilling.

The New York Times - Travel

But the stories I created, the "what ifs," were bone-chilling.

Huffington Post

What happened to Aburto Gutierrez, who is now detained at the Northwest Detention Center, is bone-chilling.

Huffington Post

Bone-chilling rapes.

The Guardian

You hear a bone-chilling growl.

The New York Times - Arts

It shot through our limbs with bone-chilling spice.

The New York Times - Food

And, despite lower temperatures, it is never as bone-chilling.

The New York Times

They could be forgiven for taking Mrs. Waldorf's bone-chilling dictum to heart.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "bone chilling" to vividly describe experiences, sounds, or situations that create a strong feeling of coldness or fear in your reader.

Common error

Avoid using "bone chilling" to describe slightly unpleasant or mildly cold experiences. It is best reserved for truly intense or frightening situations to maintain its impact.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "bone chilling" primarily functions as a compound adjective, modifying a noun to describe something that evokes a strong sensation of cold or fear. Ludwig AI confirms its usability. The phrase intensifies the noun it modifies, creating a vivid image of the described subject.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Science

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "bone chilling" is a correct and commonly used adjective phrase, primarily found in news and media contexts. Ludwig AI confirms its validity for describing something intensely cold or frightening. While grammatically sound and versatile, its impact is greatest when reserved for situations that genuinely evoke strong emotions or physical sensations. Related phrases include "spine tingling" and "blood curdling", which offer varying degrees of emphasis on either fear or coldness. Keep in mind that, while very usable, you should avoid overuse of the expression.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

blood curdling

Highlights the horror aspect, more intense than "bone chilling".

petrifying

Emphasizes intense fear and immobilization.

spine tingling

Emphasizes a thrilling or eerie sensation, similar to fear.

terrifying

A general term for something that causes great fear.

hair raising

Indicates something frightening or startling.

deeply frightening

Focuses on the fear aspect, rather than the cold.

extremely cold

Shifts the focus purely to the temperature aspect.

icy

A more general term for coldness.

frigid

Describes intensely cold conditions.

freezing

Simple descriptor about temperature.

FAQs

How can I use "bone chilling" in a sentence?

You can use "bone chilling" to describe extreme cold, such as "The wind had a "bone chilling" bite", or to describe something terrifying, such as "The silence after the scream was "bone chilling"".

What are some synonyms for "bone chilling"?

Alternatives include "spine tingling", "blood curdling", "deeply frightening", or "extremely cold" depending on whether you want to emphasize fear or temperature.

Is it correct to use "bone chilling" to describe a scary movie?

Yes, "bone chilling" is perfectly appropriate to describe a scary movie that evokes a sense of dread and fear. For example: "That horror movie was "bone chilling"!"

Can "bone chilling" be used for things other than temperature or fear?

While typically used to describe intense cold or fear, "bone chilling" can be used metaphorically for experiences that evoke a similar feeling of dread or unease, though this is less common. For instance, "The details of the crime were "bone chilling"".