spine-tingler
Fear-inducing tale
A spine-tingler is something that produces a shiver of fear or excitement—typically a thriller, horror story, or suspenseful film: The movie was a real spine-tingler.
The term emphasizes physical sensation: that prickle running up your back when tension peaks.
Raised skin from cold
- shiverInvoluntary trembling sensation
- shudderConvulsive trembling from fear
- frissonMomentary shiver of feeling
- chillCold sensation or relaxation
tremor · adrenaline · rush · thrill · excitement · prickle · jolt · startle
Emotional response to threat
- terrorExtreme, overwhelming fear
- nightmareFrightening dream causing wakefulness
- macabreDisturbing, death-obsessed
- hauntedOccupied by ghosts
eerie · ghostly · dread · bloodcurdling · gruesome · frightening · darkness · specter
Compulsively readable book
- blockbusterEnormously successful entertainment property
- bestsellerHigh-volume publication
- potboilerWork made for money
- pulpSoft wet mass
riveting · pulse-pounding · heart-pounding · action-packed · high-stakes · captivating · engrossing · unputdownable
Stretched or strained state
- cliffhangerSuspenseful unresolved ending
- mysterySomething unexplained or unknown
- intrigueSecret plotting or fascination
- anticipationState of awaiting something
thriller · whodunit · uncertainty · apprehension · foreboding · ominous · nail-biter · edge-of-your-seat
goosebumps
Raised skin from cold
- shiverInvoluntary trembling sensation
- shudderConvulsive trembling from fear
- frissonMomentary shiver of feeling
chill · tremor · adrenaline · rush · thrill · excitement · prickle · jolt · startle · fright
fear
Emotional response to threat
- terrorExtreme, overwhelming fear
- nightmareFrightening dream causing wakefulness
- macabreDisturbing, death-obsessed
haunted · eerie · ghostly · dread · bloodcurdling · gruesome · frightening · darkness · specter · sinister
page-turner
Compulsively readable book
- blockbusterEnormously successful entertainment property
- bestsellerHigh-volume publication
- potboilerWork made for money
pulp · riveting · pulse-pounding · heart-pounding · action-packed · high-stakes · captivating · engrossing · unputdownable · breathless
tension
Stretched or strained state
- cliffhangerSuspenseful unresolved ending
- mysterySomething unexplained or unknown
- intrigueSecret plotting or fascination
anticipation · thriller · whodunit · uncertainty · apprehension · foreboding · ominous · nail-biter · edge-of-your-seat · unpredictable
spine-tinglerlaugh riot
Extremely amusing spectacle
heartwarmer · knee-slapper · comedy · tearjerker · rom-com
spine-tingleryawner
Boring thing or person
snoozefest · bore · dullsville · dud · tedium
spine, tingle, spines, spinal, tingles, tingled, tingling, tingly, spine-tingling