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suspenseful

adjective

Definition of suspensefulnext
as in enthralling

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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 suspenseful There’s this funny conceit that all the people in Slough House are a bit of screwups, but the show also gets very emotional and suspenseful, and the stakes are often very high. — Lisa De Los Reyes, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026 If the idea is to make the Emmys even less suspenseful, mission accomplished. — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026 But, though the special effects are killer, what makes the show click is its suspenseful melancholy, as quiet scenes build to jolts so intense that the whole audience screamed. — Rhoda Feng, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026 Paranormal Activity understands just how much fun that can be, crafting a story so suspenseful, so surprising and so startling that the audience’s screams become a soundtrack all their own. — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026 Watch On Despite containing a plot summary in its title and a tepid reception when it was released, director Andrew Dominik’s meditative film manages to be both suspenseful and insightful. — David Faris, TheWeek, 21 Aug. 2026 The Coen brothers’ quiet debut film is among their most suspenseful works. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Aug. 2026 None of this is remotely credible, or particularly suspenseful. — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 5 Aug. 2026 The suspenseful shark sequences in an underwater cage where two distressed heroines Tatiana (Laura Marano) and Kaley (Christina Ochoa) get trapped are shockingly good while a third act ratchets up the blood and the tension. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 30 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suspenseful
  1. enthralling
  2. engrossing
  3. riveting
  4. charming
  5. captivating
  6. intriguing
  7. gripping
  8. interesting
Adjective
  • That alone is intriguing, but what the film uncovers (or perhaps, doesn’t uncover) is even more enthralling.
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 23 Sep. 2026
  • By the end of the fight, an enthralling contest which Taylor won by a somewhat wide 27 points to 3, the crowd was on their feet.
    — Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of enthralling
Adjective
  • Those scenes play as if the screenwriters gave up on trying to resolve the twisty plot, instead just making their characters tell all, leaving the film’s denouement much less engrossing than its setup.
    — Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
  • At half-time of the mostly engrossing, controversial Manchester derby on Sunday, Marc Guehi was accosted by a Sky Sports reporter and asked a few questions.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of engrossing
Adjective
  • To spin total concoctions into something so riveting is — for better or worse — an admirable cinematic skill, one Hur uses to turn a tale of forensic malfeasance into mass entertainment of considerable quality.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026
  • What follows is some of the most riveting and distressing testimony ever delivered in such a setting.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of riveting
Adjective
  • In their nine years together, Leigh had often thought of Beck as a kind of charming insectoid alien in a human suit learning Earth customs.
    — Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Miami remains the perennial grande dame, while further north, in the Palm Beaches, travelers encounter charming vias tucked behind Worth Avenue and unspoiled wildlife havens.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of charming
Adjective
  • Oakley and Reid lean so heavily into Elinor and Marianne’s crushing disappointments and the forces holding them back in a period of vast gender inequity, that their sorrows shove the characters’ more captivating qualities to the side.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The film’s cast is mostly made up of tribal non-actors, but Anghlong Konyak is its captivating center, as a man whose stubbornness against change sits alongside a lingering grief over his fading way of life.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of captivating
Adjective
  • There’s a reason why these characters in the sky are so popular and intriguing to us on the ground.
    — Anusha Praturu, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Everything that is not in the frame but has a sound that is relevant for the story, is very intriguing to me to work with.
    — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of intriguing
Adjective
  • The bestselling author of A Fable for the End of the World and A Study in Drowning focuses her newest book on a cast of characters whose roles entangle to create a gripping story.
    — Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The other three Dazzle Dry steps—a cleansing alcohol primer, a gripping base coat, and a wear-elongating top coat—are integral to nails that won’t chip for weeks.
    — Tamim Alnuweiri, InStyle, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of gripping
Adjective
  • Venus in your career zone forms an awkward connection to Uranus in your playful 5th house, stirring tension between what looks polished and what actually feels interesting.
    — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026
  • This year’s showcase is especially interesting as Queer Lisboa is hitting 30 at the same time BFI Flare in London turns 40 and San Francisco’s Frameline turns 50, David notes.
    — Ed Meza, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of interesting

Browse Nearby Words

suspense
suspenseful
suspenseless
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Cite this Entry

“Suspenseful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suspenseful. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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