spannend

Spannend is a German adjective meaning exciting, thrilling, or suspenseful. It is used to describe events, stories, performances, or media that hold the reader’s or viewer’s attention by creating tension or anticipation.

Origin and usage: The term derives from the noun Spannung (tension, suspense) and the verb spannen (to stretch, to tighten). The metaphor is that a narrative or situation stretches the audience, building anticipation until a release or payoff.

Usage in practice: In literature, film, television criticism, journalism, and everyday speech, spannend describes plots or events that keep people engaged. Typical collocations include eine spannende Geschichte (an exciting story), ein spannender Film (a suspenseful film), and eine spannende Lage (a tense situation).

Nuance and related terms: Spannend covers a broad spectrum from mild interest to intense suspense. Synonyms include aufregend (exciting), fesselnd (captivating), and packend (gripping); antonyms include langweilig (boring) and uninteressant (uninteresting). In some contexts, stärkerere Emotionen or dramatisch can be used for emphasis, though they carry slightly different nuances.

Usage notes: In German, the word commonly appears before the noun (eine spannende Geschichte) and can be intensified with adverbs like sehr spannend. In media criticism and marketing, spannend signals content that sustains attention through tension rather than through action alone.