Chill vs. Shiver — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Maham Liaqat — Updated on March 16, 2024
Chill often implies a moderate cold feeling, while shiver suggests a more intense, physical reaction to cold or emotion.
Difference Between Chill and Shiver
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Chill is typically a sensation of mild coldness that can be either pleasant or slightly uncomfortable, depending on the context. It's often associated with a cool environment or the onset of illness. Whereas, shiver is a rapid, involuntary quivering of the body in response to cold, fear, or excitement, marking a more intense and immediate reaction than a chill.
While a chill can sometimes be ignored or addressed with minor adjustments, like putting on an extra layer of clothing, shivering is a more forceful and uncontrollable response that usually prompts a more immediate attempt to seek warmth or comfort. On the other hand, shivering can also be a physiological response to fever, indicating the body's attempt to raise its core temperature.
Chills can be subjective and vary greatly among individuals, with some people feeling chilly in slightly cool temperatures, while others may not experience the same sensation until it's significantly colder. Shivers, however, tend to be a more universal response to extreme cold, affecting most people in a similar manner when exposed to low temperatures or sudden drops in the environment's warmth.
In terms of emotional reactions, a chill can be triggered by a slight breeze, a spooky story, or a moment of awe, often described as "getting goosebumps." Shivering, however, is usually reserved for moments of significant fear or anticipation, where the body's reaction is more pronounced and can be accompanied by teeth chattering.
Chills and shivers both serve as reminders of our physical and emotional sensitivity to the environment and situations around us. While chills may serve as a gentle warning or a fleeting sensation, shivers are a more emphatic signal from our body that something needs to be addressed, whether it's adjusting the thermostat or dealing with an underlying fear.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A sensation of mild coldness.
A rapid, involuntary quivering of the body.
Trigger
Cool environment, onset of illness.
Cold, fear, excitement, fever.
Intensity
Mild, can be pleasant or slightly uncomfortable.
Intense, often uncomfortable.
Response
May prompt minor adjustments.
Prompts immediate attempt to seek warmth or comfort.
Emotional Trigger
Can be caused by a breeze, spooky story, or moment of awe.
Usually reserved for moments of significant fear or anticipation.
Compare with Definitions
Chill
A mild cold sensation.
She felt a chill when the sun set and the temperature dropped.
Shiver
A symptom of fever.
High fever caused her to shiver despite being under several blankets.
Chill
A feeling of discomfort or unease.
The haunted house gave him a chill that lingered all night.
Shiver
A physical reaction to cold.
He began to shiver as soon as he stepped out into the snow.
Chill
A coolness in the air.
The morning chill made her wrap her jacket tighter.
Shiver
An expression of intense emotion.
The touching speech made him shiver with emotion.
Chill
An indication of fever or illness.
She developed a chill and realized she might be getting sick.
Shiver
A response to fear or excitement.
The suspenseful movie made her shiver with anticipation.
Chill
A gentle reminder of change.
The autumn chill signaled the end of summer.
Shiver
A universal reaction to extreme cold.
Everyone started to shiver during the unexpected blizzard.
Chill
An unpleasant feeling of coldness in the atmosphere, one's surroundings, or the body
The draughty chill of the castle
There was a chill in the air
Heat exhaustion symptoms include nausea, chills, dizziness and dehydration
Shiver
To shake or tremble, as from cold or fear.
Chill
A metal mould, often cooled, designed to ensure rapid or even cooling of metal during casting.
Shiver
To quiver or vibrate, as by the force of the wind.
Chill
Make (someone) cold
They were chilled by a sudden wind
Shiver
To cause (a sail) to flutter by sailing too close to the wind.
Chill
Horrify or frighten (someone)
The city was chilled by the violence
Shiver
To break into fragments or splinters; shatter.
Chill
Calm down and relax
They like to get home, have a bath, and chill out
Shiver
To cause to break suddenly into fragments or splinters.
Chill
Chilly
The chill grey dawn
The chill winds of public censure
Shiver
An instance of shivering or trembling.
Chill
Very relaxed or easy-going
The island is really chill and laid-back
In general, I am a pretty chill guy
Shiver
Shivers An attack of shivering. Used with the.
Chill
A moderate but penetrating coldness.
Shiver
A fragment or splinter.
Chill
A sensation of coldness, often accompanied by shivering and pallor of the skin.
Shiver
To tremble or shake, especially when cold or frightened.
They stood outside for hours, shivering in the frosty air.
Chill
A checking or dampening of enthusiasm, spirit, or joy
Bad news that put a chill on the celebration.
Shiver
To cause to shake or tremble, as a sail, by steering close to the wind.
Chill
A sudden numbing fear or dread.
Shiver
To break into splinters or fragments.
Chill
Moderately cold; chilly
A chill wind.
Shiver
The act of shivering.
A shiver went up my spine.
Chill
Not warm and friendly; distant
A chill greeting.
Shiver
(medicine) A bodily response to early hypothermia.Wp
Chill
Discouraging; dispiriting
“Chill penury repressed their noble rage” (Thomas Gray).
Shiver
A fragment or splinter, especially of glass or stone.
Chill
(Slang) Calm or relaxed
“As my meditation routine grew more stable...my already laid-back demeanor grew positively chill” (David Gelles).
Shiver
A thin slice; a shive.
Chill
To affect with or as if with cold.
Shiver
(geology) A variety of blue slate.
Chill
To lower in temperature; cool.
Shiver
(nautical) A sheave or small wheel in a pulley.
Chill
To make discouraged; dispirit.
Shiver
A small wedge, as for fastening the bolt of a window shutter.
Chill
(Metallurgy) To harden (a metallic surface) by rapid cooling.
Shiver
A spindle.
Chill
To be seized with cold.
Shiver
Collective noun for a group of sharks
Chill
To become cold or set
Jelly that chills quickly.
Shiver
One of the small pieces, or splinters, into which a brittle thing is broken by sudden violence; - generally used in the plural.
Chill
(Metallurgy) To become hard by rapid cooling.
Shiver
A thin slice; a shive.
Of your soft bread, not but a shiver.
Chill
To calm down or relax. Often used with out.
Shiver
A variety of blue slate.
Chill
To pass time idly; loiter.
Shiver
A sheave or small wheel in a pulley.
Chill
To spend time with someone in a relaxed manner; hang out together.
Shiver
A small wedge, as for fastening the bolt of a window shutter.
Chill
A moderate, but uncomfortable and penetrating coldness.
There was a chill in the air.
Shiver
A spindle.
Chill
A sudden penetrating sense of cold, especially one that causes a brief trembling nerve response through the body; the trembling response itself; often associated with illness: fevers and chills, or susceptibility to illness.
Close the window or you'll catch a chill.
I felt a chill when the wind picked up.
Shiver
The act of shivering or trembling.
Chill
An uncomfortable and numbing sense of fear, dread, anxiety, or alarm, often one that is sudden and usually accompanied by a trembling nerve response resembling the body's response to biting cold.
Despite the heat, he felt a chill as he entered the crime scene.
The actor's eerie portrayal sent chills through the audience.
His menacing presence cast a chill over everyone.
Shiver
To break into many small pieces, or splinters; to shatter; to dash to pieces by a blow; as, to shiver a glass goblet.
All the groundWith shivered armor strown.
Chill
An iron mould or portion of a mould, serving to cool rapidly, and so to harden, the surface of molten iron brought in contact with it..
Shiver
To separate suddenly into many small pieces or parts; to be shattered.
There shiver shafts upon shields thick.
The natural world, should gravity once cease, . . . would instantly shiver into millions of atoms.
Chill
The hardened part of a casting, such as the tread of a carriage wheel.
Shiver
To tremble; to vibrate; to quiver; to shake, as from cold or fear.
Prometheus is laidOn icy Caucasus to shiver.
The man that shivered on the brink of sin,Thus steeled and hardened, ventures boldly in.
Chill
A lack of warmth and cordiality; unfriendliness.
Shiver
To cause to shake or tremble, as a sail, by steering close to the wind.
Chill
Calmness; equanimity.
Shiver
Reflex shaking caused by cold or fear or excitement
Chill
A sense of style; trendiness; savoir faire.
Shiver
An almost pleasurable sensation of fright;
A frisson of surprise shot through him
Chill
Moderately cold or chilly.
A chill wind was blowing down the street.
Shiver
Tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement
Chill
Unwelcoming; not cordial.
Arriving late at the wedding, we were met with a chill reception.
Shiver
Shake, as from cold;
The children are shivering--turn on the heat!
Chill
(slang) Calm, relaxed, easygoing.
The teacher is really chill and doesn't care if you use your phone during class.
Paint-your-own ceramics studios are a chill way to express yourself while learning more about your date's right brain.
Chill
(slang) "Cool"; meeting a certain hip standard or garnering the approval of a certain peer group.
That new movie was chill, man.
Chill
(slang) Okay, not a problem.
Sorry about that. —It's chill.
Chill
(transitive) To lower the temperature of something; to cool.
Chill before serving.
Chill
(intransitive) To become cold.
In the wind he chilled quickly.
Chill
To harden a metal surface by sudden cooling.
Chill
To become hard by rapid cooling.
Chill
To relax; to lie back.
Chill, man, we've got a whole week to do it; no sense in getting worked up.
The new gym teacher really has to chill or he's gonna blow a gasket.
Chill
To "hang", hang out; to spend time with another person or group.
Hey, we should chill this weekend.
Chill
To smoke marijuana.
On Friday night do you wanna chill?
Chill
To discourage, depress.
Censorship chills public discourse.
Chill
A moderate but disagreeable degree of cold; a disagreeable sensation of coolness, accompanied with shivering.
Chill
A sensation of cold with convulsive shaking of the body, pinched face, pale skin, and blue lips, caused by undue cooling of the body or by nervous excitement, or forming the precursor of some constitutional disturbance, as of a fever.
Chill
A check to enthusiasm or warmth of feeling; discouragement; as, a chill comes over an assembly.
Chill
An iron mold or portion of a mold, serving to cool rapidly, and so to harden, the surface of molten iron brought in contact with it.
Chill
The hardened part of a casting, as the tread of a car wheel.
Chill
Moderately cold; tending to cause shivering; chilly; raw.
Noisome winds, and blasting vapors chill.
Chill
Affected by cold.
Chill
Characterized by coolness of manner, feeling, etc.; lacking enthusiasm or warmth; formal; distant; as, a chill reception.
Chill
Discouraging; depressing; dispiriting.
Chill
To strike with a chill; to make chilly; to cause to shiver; to affect with cold.
When winter chilled the day.
Chill
To check enthusiasm or warmth of feeling of; to depress; to discourage.
Every thought on God chills the gayety of his spirits.
Chill
To produce, by sudden cooling, a change of crystallization at or near the surface of, so as to increase the hardness; said of cast iron.
Chill
To become surface-hardened by sudden cooling while solidifying; as, some kinds of cast iron chill to a greater depth than others.
Chill
Coldness due to a cold environment
Chill
An almost pleasurable sensation of fright;
A frisson of surprise shot through him
Chill
A sensation of cold that often marks the start of an infection and the development of a fever
Chill
A sudden numbing dread
Chill
Depress or discourage;
The news of the city's surrender chilled the soldiers
Chill
Make cool or cooler;
Chill the food
Chill
Loose heat;
The air cooled considerably after the thunderstorm
Chill
Uncomfortably cool;
A chill wind
Chilly weather
Common Curiosities
How do you stop shivering?
Shivering can be stopped by warming up, either through physical activity, adding layers of clothing, or moving to a warmer environment.
Can anxiety cause chills?
Yes, anxiety can trigger chills as a physical reaction to stress or fear.
Do animals shiver like humans?
Yes, many animals shiver in response to cold as a mechanism to generate heat.
What is the difference between feeling a chill and shivering?
Feeling a chill is a mild sensation of coldness, while shivering is an involuntary, rapid quivering of the body in response to cold or other stimuli.
Can you have chills without fever?
Yes, chills can occur without fever, often due to exposure to a cold environment or emotional responses.
Can both chills and shivers be psychological?
Yes, both can be triggered by psychological factors like fear, excitement, or anticipation.
Are chills and shivers contagious?
While not contagious, seeing someone shiver or talk about being cold can psychologically trigger similar sensations in others.
What causes a chill?
A chill can be caused by a cool environment, the onset of illness, or an emotional response.
Is shivering always related to temperature?
No, shivering can also be triggered by emotions such as fear or excitement, and by fever.
Can chills be a sign of something serious?
Yes, chills can be a sign of fever or other underlying conditions and should be monitored if persistent.
How does the body decide to shiver?
Shivering is an automatic response controlled by the brain when it detects a need to generate heat due to cold or fever.
Why do some people shiver more than others?
Individual differences in metabolism, body composition, and tolerance to cold can affect how much and how often one shivers.
Why do scary movies cause chills and shivers?
Scary movies trigger the body's fight-or-flight response, leading to physical reactions like chills and shivers.
Can meditation or relaxation techniques reduce chills or shivering?
Yes, these techniques can help reduce the physiological responses to stress or cold that cause chills and shivering.
Is shivering a good sign during fever?
Shivering during fever is a natural response indicating the body is trying to raise its core temperature to fight off infection.
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
