thrilling

1 of 2

adjective

thrill·​ing ˈthri-liŋ How to pronounce thrilling (audio)
Synonyms of thrillingnext
: causing a feeling of great excitement or happiness
a thrilling discovery
a thrilling performance
… flashes into the end zone to give the Rams the winning touchdown in the most thrilling Super Bowl finish ever.—Rick Reilly
thrillingly
ˈthri-liŋ-lē How to pronounce thrilling (audio)
adverb
Who, in fact, are the good guys and who are the bad guys in the dramas that unfold here so thrillingly? —Marie Winn
… this is a powerful and thrillingly strange movie … —Terrence Rafferty

thrilling

2 of 2

present participle of thrill entry 1

Synonyms of thrilling

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Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of thrilling in a Sentence

Adjective a thrilling adventure movie
Recent Examples on the Web
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Adjective
Its output has steadily put Vans at the forefoot of many sneakerheads minds’ over that that time, and one of its most thrilling works yet is coming with a lift from a pair of artists. — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2026 Lauren Leigh Bacho / Getty Week 7 of the NFL season featured a Super Bowl contender getting back on track and a thrilling divisional showdown in the NFC North. — Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 26 Oct. 2026 Both teams picked up pivotal wins last week, with the Horned Frogs (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) upsetting rival Baylor 17-6, while the Mountaineers (4-3, 1-3) earned a thrilling, last-second 45-42 win over Cincinnati. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Oct. 2026 What happened at State Farm Arena on Wednesday wasn’t merely a thrilling moment for Dream fans. — Ken Sugiura, AJC.com, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for thrilling

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1768, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of thrilling was in 1768

Rhymes for thrilling

See All Rhymes for thrilling

Browse Nearby Words

thrillful
thrilling
thrillingly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Thrilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thrilling. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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