frisson
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of frisson
First recorded in 1770–80; from French: “shiver, shudder,” Old French friçons (plural), from Late Latin frictiōnem, accusative of frictiō “shiver” (taken as derivative of frīgēre “to be cold”), from Latin: “massage, friction”; see also friction
Explanation
A frisson is a thrilling shiver. Some people love roller coasters so much that they feel a frisson of excitement just looking at one. You're just as likely to feel a frisson whether you're scared or excited; its meaning lies directly between thrill and fear. When you hear a scary sound in the basement late at night, and open the door to investigate, you might feel a frisson of fear as you start to descend the steps. The Latin root is frigere, "to be cold," and while a frisson is certainly shivery, its source is a thrill rather than a chill.
Vocabulary lists containing frisson
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It would be a logistical and security nightmare for the International Olympic Committee should he attend, and it would add a major frisson to an already charged game.
From BBC ● Feb. 22, 2026
The frisson of authenticity is enhanced by paleo-sculptor Gary Staab’s spectacular models, complemented by Beth Zaiken’s murals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2025
But then, they also take us to the dark side, the frisson and the sense of being on the edge of tragedy.
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2024
Because the relationship between Southgate and England has never been straightforward; the frisson of 2018 has, at times in Germany, turned to friction.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2024
It gives me a little frisson even now, walking past that house— butterflies suddenly swarm in my stomach, and a smile comes to my lips and colour to my cheeks.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
Those thematic elements give “Tár” its frissons of resonance and ambiguity, with Lydia making a persuasive case for separating art from the artist.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 12, 2022
His subjects may be frozen yet they continue to impart all manner of frissons, comic, tragic and otherwise.
From New York Times ● Sep. 6, 2018
They may not all have literally stopped the show—often the fault of a malfunctioning set piece—but they offered, in one way or another, frissons of the sublime.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 17, 2015
Sends frissons of excitement through crowds when he touches the ball.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 16, 2014
I have chills and fever J'ai des frissons de fi�vre.
From Manual for Noncommissioned Officers and Privates of Cavalry of the Army of the United States 1917 to be also used by Engineer Companies (Mounted) for Cavalry Instruction and Training by Department, U. S. War
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
