suspenseful

/səˈspɛnsfəl/

/səˈspɛnsfəl/

Other forms: suspensefully

Anything that keeps you in a state of excitedly (or nervously) waiting for something to happen is suspenseful. Suspenseful movies keep you on the edge of your seat.

Things that cause a feeling of suspense—being unsure, excited, or scared about what is to come—are suspenseful. Waiting for the scary twist at the end of a good book is suspenseful, and it can be suspenseful to watch someone open an enormous birthday present. Suspense and suspenseful come from the Old French sospense, "delay," and a Latin root meaning "to hang up or interrupt."

Definitions of suspenseful

1. adjective

   (of a situation) characterized by or causing suspense
   synonyms: cliff-hanging, nail-biting, suspensive

   tense

   in or of a state of physical or nervous tension