THRILLS Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

thrills 1 of 2

noun

plural of thrill

as in kicks

a pleasurably intense stimulation of the feelings everyone gets a real thrill out of the Independence Day fireworks

Synonyms & Similar Words

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thrills

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of thrill

as in excites

to cause a pleasurable stimulation of the feelings of I was thrilled to hear that you got the promotion that you'd been so desperately wanting

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of thrills

Noun

But thrill-seekers can’t get enough of NightFlight Expedition, a $50 million indoor attraction that opened in August and combines roller-coaster thrills with a dark ride to simulate soaring over the Smokies at night. — Tracey Teo, AJC.com, 26 Oct. 2026 Watching Matt slip into the forms of other people, especially the goons Szabo surrounds himself with, lends Clayface its thrills. — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026 Peter Kuplowsky, programmer of the Toronto Film Festival’s thrills and spills Midnight Madness showcase, said the Hollywood box office rebound has helped underpin the resurgence in horror films. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026 October is spooky season, and this week's offerings from Disney+ and Hulu lean into the chills and thrills. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026 Roller coasters are designed to deliver thrills through sudden drops, sharp turns and rapid changes in speed, but what kinds of injuries can these forces cause? — Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026 Not everybody getting off the ride, stumbling to see their picture on the wall, agrees that the thrills were worth the chills. — Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026 Spooky season is all about getting your thrills, and for the literary-inclined, there is plenty to look forward to this month. — Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 8 Oct. 2026 Thanks to Breck Create, which puts on the Breckenridge International Festival of Art each summer, there are a few very easy trail spots to access for fun thrills. — Mindy Sink, Denver Post, 8 Oct. 2026

Verb

Railing against a new crop of progressive candidates has emerged as a more animating focus for a president who thrills to a fight. — Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 5 July 2026 Her strict economy, honed by her early years of writing and endlessly revising (under the exacting eye of Allene Talmey) tight captions for Vogue, thrills the editor in me. — Zinzi Clemmons, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026 The idea unnerves critics but thrills its architects. — Andrew R. Chow, Time, 6 May 2026 Being on the very limit — that’s what thrills him. — Luke Smith, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2026 Abigail is the one who clearly thrills to performance; Shaun consistently orbits her sun, giving the impression of the bearded and bespectacled multi-instrumentalist who’d be happy jamming on the sidelines. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 17 Mar. 2026 But all that intensity and power unappreciated by that Belle Epoque audience now thrills us to our core. — Luis Palomares, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026 The mind thrills to imagine a genderless prophet among the brocades and buckskin breeches of Revolutionary America, weirding out the normies, sticking a flower in the barrel of a musket, and goading the new nation to let its hair down—literally. — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025 While airborne, the dancer crosses his legs in the air twice before landing, a feat that thrills ballet enthusiasts who are known to burst into applause at its conclusion. — Marcia Luttrell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for thrills

Noun

In one of the great oddities of Kansas football history, defensive end Blake Herold blocked a pair of Baylor extra-point kicks Saturday — only to watch both balls still split the uprights for two visitor points.

— Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2026
In the opposite corner of the ring, Evloev is a freestyle fighter, getting a bunch of different kicks and punches to give him the edge.

— OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of kicks

Verb

What excites me about Shanghai is how Chinese designers are combining experimentation, craftsmanship and their own cultural references with a contemporary, international vision.

— Denni Hu, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2026
What excites you the most about the Caribbean music scene right now?

— Kyle Denis, Billboard, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of excites

Verb

Standing amid the ruins of the villa and grotto, you might be overwhelmed by the ancient mythology that electrifies the air here.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026
What starts as one state utility trying to see its own network more clearly could end up as part of the blueprint for how the developing world electrifies its future.

— Ken Silverstein, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026

Definition of electrifies

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thrilling

thrills

thrive

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Style

“Thrills.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thrills. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of thrills

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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