as in suspensers
something (as a close contest) that induces much suspense as to its outcome
those television awards are hardly thrillers since the same people win year after year
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Recent Examples of thrillers
Such lofty throughlines are an important element of HBO prestige dramas and great crime thrillers.
—
Grace Byron, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
Young adult fiction usually falls between 50k – 80k, and mysteries or thrillers generally land at 70k – 90k words.
—Jennifer Sodini, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
The puzzle of who-knows-who-knows-what, always fascinating to fans of mystery novels and spy thrillers, has long preoccupied psychologists and game theorists.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
Indianapolis has been through two final-drive thrillers, though.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Hollywood vets Jerry Bruckheimer, known for high-octane action thrillers and the Top Gun movies, and Scott Stuber, who ran film for Netflix and is tied to UA, have boarded the project as producers.
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2025
In Germany, thrillers, cop shows and YA comedies rule the output roost.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 6 Oct. 2025
Ragnar is one of the very best Nordic crime writers, as skillful in thrillers like this series as in murder mystery stories.
—Anders De La Motte, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2025
Horror, romance, and thrillers all get their due in the cultural canon, but the best revenge movies truly represent a genre unto themselves.
—Lauren Sanchez, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2024
Grace Byron, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2025
Young adult fiction usually falls between 50k – 80k, and mysteries or thrillers generally land at 70k – 90k words.
—Jennifer Sodini, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
The puzzle of who-knows-who-knows-what, always fascinating to fans of mystery novels and spy thrillers, has long preoccupied psychologists and game theorists.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
Indianapolis has been through two final-drive thrillers, though.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Hollywood vets Jerry Bruckheimer, known for high-octane action thrillers and the Top Gun movies, and Scott Stuber, who ran film for Netflix and is tied to UA, have boarded the project as producers.
—Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2025
In Germany, thrillers, cop shows and YA comedies rule the output roost.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 6 Oct. 2025
Ragnar is one of the very best Nordic crime writers, as skillful in thrillers like this series as in murder mystery stories.
—Anders De La Motte, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2025
Horror, romance, and thrillers all get their due in the cultural canon, but the best revenge movies truly represent a genre unto themselves.
—Lauren Sanchez, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thrillers
Noun
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As spooky season approaches, there’s no better time than now to revisit these classic nail-biters—and revel in their impeccable period styling.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
13 Sep. 2025
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Louisville-area football fans saw some blowouts and some nail-biters Friday night.—
Rich Barak,
Louisville Courier Journal,
23 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The biggest key to the success of minidramas, though, is the cliff-hangers, which push viewers to keep paying for the next episode.—
Yixuan Tan,
NBC news,
17 Aug. 2025
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Which means there are some major cliff-hangers to obsess over for the next few weeks.—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
11 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Thrillers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thrillers. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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