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
Relevance
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-raiser
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
Shawn Tully, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hair-raiser
thriller
Noun
-
The first weekend in October has been a rich launch pad for femme thriller movies, particularly those based on bestsellers, i.e. 2014’s Gone Girl ($37.5M) and 2016’s The Girl on the Train ($24.5M opening).—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
11 July 2025
-
The dark thriller centers on a struggling novelist desperate for inspiration who believes his muse has appeared in the form of a drunk, psychotic decorator.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hair-raiser.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hair-raiser. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share