frisson
Americannoun
noun
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.
Again, this is presumably meant to add a frisson of topical ambiguity to the play’s happy ending.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025
That’s the thing that gives the Epstein conspiracy theories their distinctly frothy frisson: a blending of vital ingredients, one very old and the other comparatively new.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 20, 2025
A further frisson came from the sight of Mark Wood training with England at Lord's on Wednesday, stepping up his comeback from a knee injury.
From BBC • Jul. 9, 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
“A frisson of concern?” repeated Eril-Fane, cocking an eyebrow.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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.
