hair-raising

[hair-rey-zing]

adjective

1. terrifying or horrifying.

   We had a hair-raising brush with death.

hair-raising

adjective

1. inspiring horror; terrifying

   a hair-raising drop of 600 feet

Other Word Forms

• hair-raiser noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hair-raising¹

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

While thousands packed the stands at Blundell Park, others watched the hair-raising action unfold from the comfort of their living rooms.

From BBC

In contextualizing the visceral action, the cinematographer isolated the character from the stark environment, illustrating his hyperfocused, meticulous nature as the hair-raising tension builds.

From Los Angeles Times

Take the 2015 film Victoria, a hair-raising, two-hour and 20 minute feature film that its makers say was shot in a single take.

From BBC

The same federal government that is having hair-raising difficulty with basic functions like air traffic control, is now looking to spend billions to double down on rounding up immigrants.

From Salon

The movie became famous for having one of the most spectacular car chases ever filmed: Hackman’s Doyle in a hair-raising pursuit of an elevated train that had been hijacked by a hit man.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• breathtaking 
• chilling 
• electrifying www.thesaurus.com
• frightening www.thesaurus.com
• shocking 
• suspenseful www.thesaurus.com
• terrifying