Synonyms of hair-raiser

hair-raiser

noun

ˈher-ˌrā-zər 

as in thriller

something (as a close contest) that induces much suspense as to its outcome

since they had been dating for five years, her answer to his proposal wasn't exactly a hair-raiser

Synonyms & Similar Words

• thriller
• suspenser
• nail-biter
• photo finish
• cliff-hanger
• squeaker

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• blowout
• yawner

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of hair-raiser

In Hokum, the Cork native transports viewers to Ireland’s remote and possibly haunted Bilberry Woods Hotel alongside prickly American author Ohm Baumann (Adam Scott) for a good ol' fashioned hair-raiser of a ghost story. — Megan McCluskey, Time, 4 May 2026

The streamer has a deep bench of horror films from all eras of cinema among its offerings, from influential classics like Nosferatu (1922) to newer hair-raisers like Possessor (2020), and all kinds of thrillers and chillers in between. — Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Jan. 2026

And the Halloween-eve hair-raiser adds a cackling skeleton to a horror arcade of ghoulish news for EVs. — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2023