Frisson    (pronounced free-sohN.    Note that the N in this case does not represent a consonant, and the oh is nasalized. Thus, the second syllable here rhymes with "bon" in the French word "bonjour.")   noun


Definition

a brief moment of intense excitement, delight, repugnance, or fear; a shudder or thrill.

Main Example

  • Last month, to mark the 40th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's assassination, many radio and TV stations rebroadcast that historic news flash "Something terrible has happened to the motorcade . . . President Kennedy has been shot" which sent a frisson throughout the nation.

    Workplace Examples

  • So, how did your employees react when you announced that the year-end bonus will be almost twice the amount everyone was expecting? Did it send a frisson of excitement through everyone?

    Emphasize Your Point in Just Three Sentences.

  • It was such a creepy sight that just thinking about it gives me the shudders--what the French call frisson!

    Other Examples

  • during a critical inning of the recent National League Championship Series, the interception of a foul ball by a souvenir-seeking fan producing a frisson of dismay among the Chicago Cubs' fans

  • on that fateful Sept. 11 morning, the frisson of horror that engulfed millions of television viewers as the first World Trade Center tower started to collapse

  • President Bush's surprise appearance at a Thanksgiving Day gathering of U.S. troops in Iraq arousing a frisson of delight among all those who had assembled in the Bob Hope Dining Hall at Baghdad International Airport

    © 2004 V.J. Singal

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