chilly

C1 Topic:Weather & Climate

US /ˈtʃɪli/ UK /ˈt͡ʃɪli/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like silly /tʃ/ vs /s/ Sounds like cheery /l/ vs /r/

adj noun Freq #8706

Meanings

1

adj
Cold enough to feel uncomfortable.

The air was chilly, so I put on a sweater before going out.
2

adj
Unfriendly and distant in manner.

She gave me a chilly look when I made the suggestion.
3

noun
A small, very hot pepper used in cooking (variant spelling of chili).

He added a chopped chilly to make the curry spicier.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · cold enough to feel... parky

3 noun · a small, very hot pepper... chilechilichili pepperchilli

More cold

Word family

Forms chillierchilliest

Derived forms chillilychillinesschillybinunchilly

Related forms chillchillaxchiller chillingchillinglychillnesscold-sensitive

Etymology

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

Topics

Weather & Climate Word Formation & Derivatives

# chilly

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** ˈtʃɪli
**IPA (UK):** ˈt͡ʃɪli
**Frequency rank:** 8706

## Meanings
1. Cold enough to feel uncomfortable.
2. Unfriendly and distant in manner.
3. A small, very hot pepper used in cooking (variant spelling of chili).

## Examples
- The air was chilly, so I put on a sweater before going out.
- She gave me a chilly look when I made the suggestion.
- He added a chopped chilly to make the curry spicier.

## Synonyms
- cold

## Derived Forms
- chillily
- chilliness
- chillybin
- unchilly

## Related Forms
- chill
- chillax
- chiller
- chilling
- chillingly
- chillness
- cold-sensitive

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

## AI Etymology
Chilly is from chill + -y. Cognate with Swedish kylig (“chilly”), Norwegian kjølig (“chilly”). The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern adjectival form is built from the named base and affix. In present-day use, it can mean cold enough to feel uncomfortable, or unfriendly and distant in manner. Related forms include chill, chillax, chiller, chilling, chillingly. Derived formations include chillily, chilliness, chillybin, unchilly.

## Topics
- Weather & Climate
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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chilly

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