suspense
/səˈspɛns/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.53 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The pleasurable emotion of anticipation and excitement regarding the outcome or climax of a book, film etc.
Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "For thee the Fates, severely kind, ordain / A cool suspense from pleasure and from pain; / Thy life a long dead calm of fix'd repose; / No pulse that riots, and no blood that glows."
- "Ten days the prophet in suspense remain'd."
- "I believe that, to the young, suspense is the most intolerable suffering. Active misery always brings with it its own power of endurance."
- "She sent us that assignment with a suspense of noon tomorrow."
- "[The great light of day] suspens in heav'n."
- "Expectation held his look suspense."
Etymology
From Middle English suspense, suspence, from Anglo-Norman suspens (as in en suspens) and Old French suspens, from Latin suspēnsus.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: suspense, suspens, suspēnsus
Usage
- Uncountable
- American usage
- Obsolete