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Slang file #015Here to stayFeelings & vibes

What does chill mean?

Say itCHIL/tʃɪl/verb, adjective

To relax, calm down, or spend time with people in an easy way; as an adjective, relaxed and easygoing.

Written by the Second Language TeamWritten

Chill is slang with two main jobs. As a verb, it means to relax, calm down, or spend easy time with friends ("we’re just chilling"). As an adjective, it describes a person or thing that is relaxed and easygoing, and sometimes just good ("the party was chill"). You will hear it in everyday talk, texts, social media, and songs.

It is one short syllable, the same sound as the normal word chill in "a chill in the air". It is casual but not rude, so it is fine with friends, with family, and in relaxed work chats. Keep it out of formal writing. Be careful with "Chill out!": if you say it to someone who is upset, it can sound like you don’t care.

Word stats

How casual
Everyday slang. Fine in texts and conversation, but not in an essay or a formal email.
OK at work
"The new manager seems chill" is fine in a work chat. Telling your boss to "chill out" is not.
Grandma-safe
Safe with any relative. Just don’t tell your mom to "chill" while she is still angry.
Cringe risk
Very low. People have said it since the late 1970s, so it sounds normal. Its cousin "chillax" is the risky one.
Freshness
Not new and not fading. About as many people look it up as last year, because it is everywhere.

Spotted in the wild

Group chat · Friday, 6:15 pm
  1. Samanyone doing anything tonight?
  2. Younah just chilling at home
  3. Samcome chill at mine, we’re ordering pizza 🍕
  4. Youok on my way

What it means here: Here chill means to relax and hang out with friends, with no big plans.

Work chat · direct message
  1. Anahow was the meeting with the new team lead?
  2. Youhonestly really chill. she just asked about my last project
  3. Ananice, the last one was so stressful lol

What it means here: Here chill is an adjective: the meeting was relaxed and easy, not stressful.

Text with Mom
  1. MomDid you pay the electric bill?? It was due yesterday!!
  2. Youmom chill, I paid it on Monday
  3. MomOk. But don’t tell me to chill 😤

What it means here: Here chill means calm down. It works, but it can sound a little rude when someone is upset.

How to use it

  • chill (out)I just want to chill this weekend.
  • chill with someoneWe chilled with Leo after class.
  • be chillMy new roommate is really chill.
  • a chill + nounIt was a chill night, just music and snacks.
  • Chill (out)! (telling someone to calm down)Chill out, the movie doesn’t start for an hour.

Don’t say it like this

  • Sounds offIt’s chill outside, bring a jacket.

    Say thisIt’s chilly outside, bring a jacket.

    Chilly means a little cold. Chill as slang means relaxed, so "it’s chill outside" sounds like the weather is easygoing.

  • Sounds offLet’s chill ourselves at home.

    Say thisLet’s chill at home.

    Chill does not take "ourselves" or "myself", even if "relax" works that way in your language. Just say "chill".

  • Sounds off(to your boss) Chill out, I’ll send it soon.

    Say thisNo problem, I’ll send it in ten minutes.

    Telling someone to chill out can sound like their worry is silly. With a boss or an upset person, answer the worry instead.

  • Sounds offIn my essay: The mood of the novel is very chill.

    Say thisIn my essay: The mood of the novel is calm and relaxed.

    Chill is informal. In school or work writing, use a standard word like "relaxed", "calm", or "easygoing".

chill or not?

Is each of these chill? Pick an answer to find out.

  1. You arrive 30 minutes late, and your friend just says, "no worries, I got us a table."

  2. Your roommate leaves an angry note about the dishes with five exclamation marks.

  3. Your Sunday plan is the sofa, a cup of tea, and nothing else.

  4. A waiter tells you, "The drinks are chilled."

The chill family

  • chillaxChill plus relax: to calm down and take it easy.It says relax twice, so it must be extra relaxing. It can sound a bit try-hard now.
  • take a chill pillA playful way to say calm down.No real pill involved. It sounds a little old-school, and that is part of the fun.
  • laid-backRelaxed and easygoing.Chill’s more polite cousin. Safe to use in a job interview.

Where it came from

  1. 1979The first known uses of chill out, meaning to calm down, come from this year [1]. That year the Sugarhill Gang sing "a time to chill" in "Rapper’s Delight", and in 1980 Afrika Bambaataa sings "chill out" [2]. No one person is known to have invented the word.
  2. 1983Green’s records the adjective, meaning calm and relaxed, in US college slang. It marks this sense as first coming from Black American slang [3].
  3. 1987Green’s records chill meaning to hang out and pass the time, in a lyric by the rapper Ice-T [2].
  4. TodayChill is everyday English in the US, the UK, Australia, and beyond, from "let’s chill" to "she’s so chill".

Chill, chill out, or chillin’?

The slang word comes in a few shapes. They are close, but not the same.

FormMeaningExample
chill (verb)relax, or hang out"Let’s just chill tonight."
chill outcalm down, relax"Chill out, it’s just a game."
chillin’relaxing or hanging out right now"Just chillin’ at home."
chill (adjective)relaxed, easy, or good"The party was chill."

Chill also has an older, standard meaning: cold. "A chill in the air" and "chill the drinks" are about temperature, and "chilly" means a little cold. Context tells you which meaning someone wants. A chill person is relaxed, not cold.

One warning: Netflix and chill looks like a plan to watch TV. In fact, people usually use it to hint at a romantic or sexual invitation. If you only mean a movie, say "watch a movie".

Sources

  1. Chill out Definition & MeaningMerriam-Webster
  2. chill (out), v.Green's Dictionary of Slang
  3. chill, adj.Green's Dictionary of Slang

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