HAIR-RAISING Synonyms: 120 Similar and Opposite Words

hair-raising

adjective

ˈher-ˌrā-ziŋ

Definition of hair-raising

as in terrifying

causing fear hair-raising stories of headless corpses and disembodied screams

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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-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 See All Example Sentences for hair-raising

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hair-raising

Adjective

Malerman’s truly terrifying horror novel, 2024’s Incidents Around the House, upon which Other Mommy is based, tells the tale of struggling married couple Ursula and Ross and their young daughter, Bela.

— Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 28 Oct. 2026
Scottie’s punishing, smothering treatment of Judy, who bears much more than a passing resemblance to Madeleine, borders on truly terrifying to many women watching the film.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of terrifying

Adjective

Desperate for a rebound after his worst finish of the Chase, the defending series champion expanded his points lead by a wide margin with a breathtaking rally from 11th to first on the final lap.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
Words fail, however, when attempting to describe the breathtaking view.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of breathtaking

Adjective

As the frightening phantom of Frank the Bunny warns, this parallel reality has a ticking clock that’ll result in its imminent collapse in just 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds.

— Jeff Spry, Space.com, 26 Oct. 2026
For neighbors, the crash brought a frightening interruption to an otherwise routine afternoon.

— Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of frightening

Adjective

Perhaps less exciting is the fact her failures are more than just the flawed Edison machine.

— Torie Bosch, STAT, 24 Oct. 2026
The radio series takes in interviews with academic hormone specialists, including the team at Imperial College in London who are conducting some of the most exciting and innovative research in this area.

— Gavin Francis, The New York Review of Books, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of exciting

Adjective

Both teams picked up pivotal wins last week, with the Horned Frogs (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) upsetting rival Baylor 17-6, while the Mountaineers (4-3, 1-3) earned a thrilling, last-second 45-42 win over Cincinnati.

— Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Oct. 2026
What happened at State Farm Arena on Wednesday wasn’t merely a thrilling moment for Dream fans.

— Ken Sugiura, AJC.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of thrilling

Adjective

Bad dreams – like scary stories – work as fire drills for the developing brain.

— Liz Rosenberg, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2026
There, shortly after fully participating in a practice as if nothing ever happened, the rookie linebacker recapped the scenes from perhaps the scariest moment of his football career three days prior.

— Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of scary

Adjective

An interesting detail is that four ESSMs can fit into one compatible launch cell.

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
That leaves an interesting question about how cities should handle future confrontations between pedestrians and commercial robots.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of interesting

Browse Nearby Words

hair-raisers

hair-raising

hairs

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Style

“Hair-raising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hair-raising. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of hair-raising

adjective

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