suspense
suh-SPENS
/səˈspens/
A state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen.
Relying on withholding crucial resolution while keeping tension high.
The story behind the word. From Latin suspendere (to hang up or suspend). It literally describes the feeling of being left hanging in mid-air waiting for the outcome to fall into place.
Word relationships
- tension: Tension is general dramatic strain, whereas suspense involves active anticipation of an imminent outcome.
- certainty: Certainty removes all doubt and anticipation about future events.
Commonly confused with
- surprise: Surprise happens without warning; suspense happens when the audience foresees danger and anxiously waits for the outcome.
Word family
- suspenseful (adjective): Arousing excitement or anxiety about expected outcomes.
Collocations
- build suspense
- unbearable suspense
- keep in suspense
- narrative suspense
Idioms & expressions
- keep someone hanging in suspense
Example sentences
- "The author builds unbearable suspense by ending every chapter on a sudden cliffhanger." Book review
Memory hook
SUSPENSE leaves you SUSPENDED in mid-air. Left hanging in anticipation.
When not to use
Do not confuse suspense with horror; suspense is anticipatory anxiety, while horror is visceral shock or disgust.
Fun facts
- Alfred Hitchcock famously explained suspense using a bomb under a table: if it explodes suddenly, it's surprise; if the audience knows it's ticking, it's suspense.
Related words
Explore more words
thriller, expectant, foreboding, dread, foreshadow, apprehensive
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