thriller
Americannoun
-
a person or thing that thrills.
-
an exciting, suspenseful play or story, especially a mystery story.
noun
-
a book, film, play, etc, depicting crime, mystery, or espionage in an atmosphere of excitement and suspense
-
a person or thing that thrills
Discover More
In Great Britain, the word thriller is sometimes used for all mystery novels: “Martha Grimes, an American, writes British-style thrillers.”
Etymology
Origin of thriller
1885–90; 1920–25 thriller for def. 2; thrill + -er 1
Explanation
A thriller is a suspenseful movie, TV show, book, or play. If you love thrillers, you probably enjoy mysterious plots, suspicious characters, and being on the edge of your seat. Thrillers are known for being exciting and sometimes scary, evoking emotions like anticipation, fear, and suspense. They tend to use plot twists and cliffhangers to keep an audience or reader intrigued, and they often feature a villain. The literary label thriller first appeared in the late 1800s, from the verb thrill, "give a shivering, excited feeling."
Vocabulary lists containing thriller
Literary Genres - Introductory
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Literary Genres - Advanced
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Reading: Literature - Literary Genres - Middle School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
"We did a 12-hour shift or maybe more every day for 'Mrs Deshpande'," she told AFP, mentioning the 2025 crime thriller.
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
Tom Hanks hosts a revelatory documentary series on World War II; Leo Woodall and Dustin Hoffman lead a taut thriller; a comedy has satirical fun with FIFA; and much, much more.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
The featured trailer promoted “One Spoon of Chocolate,” the RZA’s recently released blaxploitation-style revenge thriller, but the show also pushed other official Wu-Tang merchandise, including a video game.
From Salon • May 31, 2026
The BBC has been exclusively invited behind the scenes to meet the cast and crew of Davies' upcoming thriller, Tip Toe.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
She put aside the thriller and the book about Alexander the Great, hesitated—and picked up the Odyssey.
From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke
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.
