suspense

noun

sus·​pense sə-ˈspen(t)s 

1

: the state of being suspended : suspension

2

a

: mental uncertainty : anxiety

b

: pleasant excitement as to a decision or outcome

a novel of suspense

3

: the state or character of being undecided or doubtful : indecisiveness

suspenseful

sə-ˈspen(t)s-fəl 

adjective

suspensefully

sə-ˈspen(t)s-fə-lē 

adverb

suspensefulness

sə-ˈspen(t)s-fəl-nəs 

noun

suspenseless

sə-ˈspen(t)s-ləs 

adjective

Synonyms

• suspension

Examples of suspense in a Sentence

I can't bear the suspense.

The suspense builds as the story progresses.

Alfred Hitchcock was a master of suspense.

The movie is a suspense thriller.

Recent Examples on the Web

Where The Nun suffered from a complete and utter lack of tension, director Michael Chaves uses some classic horror standbys to build suspense. —Emily Palmer Heller, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025

But even with a ridiculously fun premise and more than a few twists, the film never fully regains its initial suspense after the bomb explodes relatively early in the film. —Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025

The suspense is part of the story. —Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025

Because most of the monsters are so new, Hawley uses our relative lack of knowledge to ratchet up the suspense. —Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from suspendre

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing suspense

• in suspense
• suspense account
• the suspense is killing me

Rhymes for suspense

• commence
• condense
• defence
• defense
• dispense
• expense
• fourpence
• halfpence
• immense
• incense
• intense
• missense

Kids Definition

suspense

noun

sus·​pense sə-ˈspen(t)s 

1

: the state of being suspended : suspension

2

a

: mental uncertainty : anxiety

b

: pleasant excitement caused by wondering what will happen

a novel of suspense

3

: the state of being undecided

suspenseful

-fəl 

adjective