creating a feeling of excitement or anxiety because you don't know what will happen next.
From 'suspense' (Latin 'suspendere' meaning 'to hang up' or 'to hold in uncertainty') plus '-ful' meaning 'full of.' The idea is being left 'hanging' in uncertainty.
The word 'suspense' literally means being 'hung up'—that's exactly what a good thriller does to your emotions, leaving you hanging until the final reveal, which is why it perfectly describes that nail-biting feeling.
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