THRILLER Synonyms: 8 Similar and Opposite Words

thriller

noun

ˈthri-lər

as in suspenser

something (as a close contest) that induces much suspense as to its outcome those television awards are hardly thrillers since the same people win year after year

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of thriller The Netflix thriller — which hit the streamer on April 24 — is a modern take on the classic Richard Connell short story The Most Dangerous Game. —

Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026 Currently, Shervey is developing a trans-Tasman psychological thriller and a broadcast adaptation of her viral comedy Millennial Jenny. —

Matt Grobar, Deadline, 23 Apr. 2026 Netflix’s bracingly nasty action-thriller Apex is a fine addition, plonking the star down in a rugged Australian landscape and throwing nature’s formidable might at her while stirring a psychotic serial killer into the mix. —

David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 23 Apr. 2026 Examples abound, including this chilly, tricky thriller written and directed by Alex Garland. —

Keith Phipps, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for thriller

Recent Examples of Synonyms for thriller

suspenser

Noun

Directed by Nelicia Low, the suspenser follows a young fencer struggling with keeping his secret crush on a fellow fencer from his homophobic mother.

— Vivienne Chow, Variety, 17 May 2022
On the other hand, the story introduces fictional characters and elements that give it the air of a suspenser, exactly the sort for which Harris is so popular.

— Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Jan. 2022