Hitchcockian
adjective
Hitch·cock·ian
hich-ˈkä-kē-ən 
: of, relating to, or suggestive of the cinematic style or technique of Alfred Hitchcock
Secret identities and hidden intentions are classic Hitchcockian tropes …—
Shirrel Rhoades
Shirrel Rhoades
often
: having a pervasive air of unease or suspense
There's a Hitchcockian foreboding—a sense that someone is about to open a shadowy door and never return … —Isabelia Herrera
Isabelia Herrera Examples of Hitchcockian in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Loznitsa’s methods are grim and exacting, but the effect is never monotonous; there are shivers of Hitchcockian suspense, plus a whispery cackle of satire that veers toward the Kafkaesque.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
Silhouettes from the 1960s, such as twee miniskirts and babydoll dresses, were crafted in rich fabrics and Hitchcockian hues.
—Kevin Huynh, InStyle, 12 Mar. 2026
The accompanying illustration shows a terrified boy running from a sky full of books flapping their pages like Hitchcockian birds.
—Richard Sandomir, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2026
But her glam team went in an entirely different retro direction, evoking the murder-mystery vibes behind the series and throwing it back to the 1960s with a Hitchcockian beauty moment.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 6 Feb. 2026
Its tête-à-têtes give way to full-throated melodrama, the narrative punctuated by haunting Hitchcockian flashes, complete with Bernard Herrmann-esque swells of yearning melody in Grégoire Hetzel’s stellar score.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
What could have played as pure exploitation is elevated by tight pacing, Hitchcockian craft, and McAvoy’s explosively virtuosic performance(s) to channel thorny ideas about trauma and fractured identity.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 29 July 2025
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Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
Silhouettes from the 1960s, such as twee miniskirts and babydoll dresses, were crafted in rich fabrics and Hitchcockian hues.
—Kevin Huynh, InStyle, 12 Mar. 2026
The accompanying illustration shows a terrified boy running from a sky full of books flapping their pages like Hitchcockian birds.
—Richard Sandomir, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2026
But her glam team went in an entirely different retro direction, evoking the murder-mystery vibes behind the series and throwing it back to the 1960s with a Hitchcockian beauty moment.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 6 Feb. 2026
Its tête-à-têtes give way to full-throated melodrama, the narrative punctuated by haunting Hitchcockian flashes, complete with Bernard Herrmann-esque swells of yearning melody in Grégoire Hetzel’s stellar score.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
What could have played as pure exploitation is elevated by tight pacing, Hitchcockian craft, and McAvoy’s explosively virtuosic performance(s) to channel thorny ideas about trauma and fractured identity.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 29 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hitchcockian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Hitchcockian. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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