HAIR-RAISER Synonyms: 8 Similar and Opposite Words

hair-raiser

noun

ˈher-ˌrā-zər

Definition of hair-raiser

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

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of hair-raiser For pregame prep, there’s a new documentary about the 2007 hair-raiser. — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hair-raiser

thriller

Noun

With a chance to steal the game, Wyatt was called for holding and the clock ran out, giving Arlington Heights a 27-22 victory Friday at Farrington Field in a thriller.

— Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Oct. 2026
Other translation projects include Michel Gondry’s The Book of Solutions, Judo thriller Tatami, South Korean title Smugglers, Stéphan Castang’s Vincent Must Die, and Berlin Film Festival opener The Light.

— Jake Kanter, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of thriller

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hairpins

hair-raiser

hair-raisers

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“Hair-raiser.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hair-raiser. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of hair-raiser

noun

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