English Lexicon

Suspense

/səˈspɛns/
nounCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #2500 frequency
Full Thesaurus

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

1 sense
As noun
  1. 1

    A state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen.

    "The movie kept us in absolute suspense until the very end."

Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from the Latin suspensus, meaning 'hanging up' or 'uncertain', from suspendere. It entered English in the 16th century via Old French and medieval legal terminology, eventually shifting to describe the psychological state of eager uncertainty and expectation.

Quick Vocabulary Retention Check

Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Suspense"?

Thesaurus & Synonyms Graph

Explore Nuanced Synonyms for "Suspense"

Discover exact matches, context-specific alternatives, and antonyms with intensity ratings in the VocabDictionary Thesaurus.

View "Suspense" Synonym Map