1
as in terrifying
causing fear
hair-raising stories of headless corpses and disembodied screams
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in breathtaking
causing great emotional or mental stimulation
a theme park that is legendary for its lightning-fast roller-coaster and other hair-raising rides
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of hair-raising
His own pharmaceutical quest is nothing short of hair-raising.
—
Jerome Groopman, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2025
Then into motorboats for hair-raising dashes through tortuous canals and across rough water to dams far back in some vast marsh.
—Nash Buckingham, Outdoor Life, 19 June 2025
The term hair-raising takes on new meaning as two performers contort their bodies high above the stage, connected only by their coiffures.
—Karen D'souza, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2025
Led by vocalist Christina Michelle’s hair-raising screams, Deep Sage mangles everything in its path with thick basslines and switchblade guitars until the floor is bloodied but the air, at long last, is cleansed.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2024
Oh, there are plenty of opportunity for that: Feliz says the season only gets more hair-raising from here.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2024
The reason this seems hair-raising is that most generative AI is devised to wait for the human to initiate a conversation.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024
Among them were experienced mountaineers accustomed to steep terrain where any fall could be fatal, and casual hikers who had never before attempted to climb anything as hair-raising.
—Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2024
The players’ recounted exploits are at once hair-raising, nostalgic and moving.
—Drew Goins, Washington Post, 31 July 2024
Jerome Groopman, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2025
Then into motorboats for hair-raising dashes through tortuous canals and across rough water to dams far back in some vast marsh.
—Nash Buckingham, Outdoor Life, 19 June 2025
The term hair-raising takes on new meaning as two performers contort their bodies high above the stage, connected only by their coiffures.
—Karen D'souza, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2025
Led by vocalist Christina Michelle’s hair-raising screams, Deep Sage mangles everything in its path with thick basslines and switchblade guitars until the floor is bloodied but the air, at long last, is cleansed.
—Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2024
Oh, there are plenty of opportunity for that: Feliz says the season only gets more hair-raising from here.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2024
The reason this seems hair-raising is that most generative AI is devised to wait for the human to initiate a conversation.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024
Among them were experienced mountaineers accustomed to steep terrain where any fall could be fatal, and casual hikers who had never before attempted to climb anything as hair-raising.
—Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2024
The players’ recounted exploits are at once hair-raising, nostalgic and moving.
—Drew Goins, Washington Post, 31 July 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hair-raising
Adjective
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But a computer sensor wasn’t needed to confirm his terrifying speed.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Nov. 2025
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Desperate to prove his mettle, Dek seeks out a terrifying creature of Yautja lore, determined to be the first of his kind to slay it.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Located in northern Spain, along the Bay of Biscay and between the popular cities of Bilbao and San Sebastián, the Urola Coast of Basque Country is a breathtaking stretch of shoreline.—
Michelle Arellano Martin,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Nov. 2025
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In dozens of interviews in villages on Venezuela's breathtaking northeastern coast, from which some of the boats departed, residents and relatives said the dead men had indeed been running drugs but were not narco-terrorists or leaders of a cartel or gang.—
NPR,
NPR,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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But the trailer also offers a glimpse a frightening car crash that derails their career and life plans.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
4 Nov. 2025
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There were no spooky increases at the pumps or frightening fuel costs this Halloween.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Shirley Valentine serves as an escape for those who envision a life more exciting, a fact to which Collins attributed its success.—
Lisa de los Reyes,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Nov. 2025
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Surveying the broader landscape of AI benchmarks, Mahdi said researchers and developers have many exciting avenues to explore.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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As the day wears on, the crowd swells to a formidable throng.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
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If host Point Loma was going to stay unbeaten and advance to the Division 1 quarterfinal with a win over Mater Dei Catholic on Friday night, Pointers head coach Ryan Price was sure his formidable defense would have a major hand in it.—
Kevin J. Farmer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Johnson emphasized that the same was happening with him personally after the thrilling Game 7, as people who didn't tune in to an MLB game recently were brought back in by the Dodgers' run.—
Gabe Smallson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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Perhaps the most thrilling part of diving in Nevis, however, is the many shipwrecks which all have a story.—
Adrienne Jordan,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Fascinating albeit kinda scary to watch though.—
Megan Cartwright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Kim also recalled her mother allegedly threatening her father’s life, and on one scary occasion, Betty drove her car into the new home Dan shared with their children.—
Alex Gurley,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Suddenly, sincerity felt like a fresher approach to a contemporary political story—more interesting, more unexpected, and more aligned with my artistic ethos.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
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Krasinski also has the least interesting yet very successful Hollywood career imaginable, but that doesn’t mean he should be exiled or worse.—
Choire Sicha,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hair-raising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hair-raising. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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