as in thrillers
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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Recent Examples of hair-raisers
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
Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hair-raisers
thrillers
Noun
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In 1963 Alfred Hitchcock released The Birds, one of his most iconic thrillers.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
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Unger, who lives in Clearwater, has a reputation for solid stand-alone thrillers that have landed on bestseller lists, with unusual plots and unconventional motives shrouded in dark-but-not-oppressive atmospheres.—
Oline H. Cogdill,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hair-raisers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hair-raisers. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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