as in thrillers
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
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Recent Examples of hair-raisers
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
Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hair-raisers
thrillers
Noun
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April’s Criterion Channel grid wades into the morally corrupt boardrooms of corporate thrillers.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
14 Apr. 2026
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Jokić and company are on a 10-game win streak, which includes overtime thrillers against the Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hair-raisers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hair-raisers. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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