thriller

noun

thrill·​er ˈthri-lər 

: one that thrills

especially : a work of fiction or drama designed to hold the interest by the use of a high degree of intrigue, adventure, or suspense

Synonyms

• suspenser

Examples of thriller in a Sentence

His latest novel is a political thriller.

those television awards are hardly thrillers since the same people win year after year

Recent Examples on the Web

Its trailer, viewed by tens of thousands on YouTube (65,000 and counting), has only fueled more interest in the sci-fi thriller series, which already picked up an award at Italy’s Global Series Festival last June. —Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 16 Aug. 2025

Here’s a man as comfortable working in documentaries (4 Little Girls), filmed theater (Passing Strange), crime thrillers (Inside Man), and outlandish satire (Bamboozled). —Tim Grierson, Vulture, 16 Aug. 2025

Hot off her role in Fantastic Four: First Steps, Vanessa Kirby stars in this Netflix thriller about a woman trying to keep the family home. —Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025

Bill Gunn's vampire thriller Ganja & Hess and Park Chan-wook's revenge epic Oldboy both transformed under Lee's nimble hands, and now he's reinterpreted an enduring staple of global cinema: Akira Kurosawa's High and Low. —Ew Staff Published, EW.com, 15 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1889, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing thriller

• techno-thriller

Rhymes for thriller

• biller
• chiller
• driller
• filler
• hilar
• hiller
• killer
• pillar
• quiller
• siller
• spiller
• stiller

Kids Definition

thriller

noun

thril·​ler ˈthril-ər 

: one that thrills

especially : a work of fiction or drama with a great deal of action, mystery, adventure, or suspense