as in suspensers
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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Recent Examples of thrillers
In fact, one of my chief complaints about some contemporary thrillers is the feeling that characters are required to do dumb stuff by the unseen hand of the author, just so more crazy twists can happen.
—
John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2026
Some instances of the passionate emotion veer into more bloody endeavors with thrillers like Obsession and Lurker.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 15 May 2026
His latest brings extraterrestrial life into the realm of ’70s conspiracy thrillers.
—Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Consider pairing with thrillers like airy purple fountain grass, spiky snapdragons, or canna lilies for a tropical twist.
—Gemma Johnstone, The Spruce, 14 May 2026
Turner is a somewhat anomalous protagonist in the pantheon of iconic 1970s thrillers.
—Paul Fitzgerald, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2026
The final nail in the coffin may have been Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, a 2012 juggernaut that primed the public for twisty, femme-centric thrillers—a hunger that still hasn’t faded.
—Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 4 May 2026
In addition to acting, Collins was also a novelist, authoring psychosexual thrillers Eye Contact and Double Exposure.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 3 May 2026
There’s a theme that’s emerging amongst the best sci-fi thrillers, and that’s in the exploration of artificial intelligence, its capabilities, and its perils.
—Grace Dean, Space.com, 2 May 2026
John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2026
Some instances of the passionate emotion veer into more bloody endeavors with thrillers like Obsession and Lurker.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 15 May 2026
His latest brings extraterrestrial life into the realm of ’70s conspiracy thrillers.
—Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Consider pairing with thrillers like airy purple fountain grass, spiky snapdragons, or canna lilies for a tropical twist.
—Gemma Johnstone, The Spruce, 14 May 2026
Turner is a somewhat anomalous protagonist in the pantheon of iconic 1970s thrillers.
—Paul Fitzgerald, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2026
The final nail in the coffin may have been Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, a 2012 juggernaut that primed the public for twisty, femme-centric thrillers—a hunger that still hasn’t faded.
—Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 4 May 2026
In addition to acting, Collins was also a novelist, authoring psychosexual thrillers Eye Contact and Double Exposure.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 3 May 2026
There’s a theme that’s emerging amongst the best sci-fi thrillers, and that’s in the exploration of artificial intelligence, its capabilities, and its perils.
—Grace Dean, Space.com, 2 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thrillers
Noun
-
The Avs, who won the President’s Trophy with the league’s best regular-season record, opened the playoffs with a pair of 2-1 nail-biters over the Kings.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 May 2026
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The Music Box continues its series celebrating nail-biters centered on prison breaks.—
Jennifer Day,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
And many have speculated that Netflix’s vast trove of data informs certain narrative habits on its shows (cliff-hangers to encourage bingeing, for example, and frequent restating of plot points to engage viewers distracted by their phones).—
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The biggest key to the success of minidramas, though, is the cliff-hangers, which push viewers to keep paying for the next episode.—
Yixuan Tan,
NBC news,
17 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Thrillers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thrillers. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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