Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
hair-raiser

hair-raiser

7.2
An experience that causes strong fear or excitement
  • noun
  • /ˈhɛrˌreɪzər/
  • Informal
translation icon : susto
  • Many people consider skydiving a thrilling hair-raiser.

Examples

  • The roller coaster was such a hair-raiser that people screamed the whole way through.

  • Last night's storm was a real hair-raiser—the thunder kept everyone awake.

  • That ghost story turned out to be a genuine hair-raiser and kept me up all night.

  • That movie was a real hair-raiser!

  • The horror movie was such a hair-raiser that I couldn't sleep afterwards.

  • She loves reading stories that are real hair-raisers, especially ghost tales.

  • The roller coaster ride was a thrilling hair-raiser that left everyone screaming with excitement.

Synonyms

scare
vshair-raiser
143 2.0

A short time when people feel afraid about something

is a longer or more intense event causing lasting thrill or fear
chiller
vshair-raiser
2 5.9

A story or film that makes you feel afraid and excited

is any event or experience that causes strong fear or excitement

How Thrilling

hair-raiser
  • Informal
7.2
thrilling
102 3.6
exciting
∞ 1.0
happening
19 3.4

Surface Forms

hair-raiser singular
hair-raisers plural

Morphology

hair-raiser = hair + raise (transparent) = hair + raise + er

The formation is a clear combination of 'hair' + 'raise' with the agentive suffix '-er', meaning 'something that raises hair' (i.e., causes hair to stand), which learners can deduce.

Etymology

The word hair-raiser comes from the image of your hair standing up when you feel very scared or excited, with hair meaning the same hair you know and raise meaning 'to lift'. So a hair-raiser is something that makes your hair 'lift' and gives a strong thrill or fright.