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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These titles—from memoirs, literary fiction, thrillers, and even a bit of science fiction—hold true to the sentiment that moms and maternal figures can solve just about anything.—
Amanda Favazza,
Southern Living,
15 Feb. 2026
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Alongside the continued dominance of genre packages, such as horror, action and thrillers, more films about relationships and romance have hit the market, hoping to make buyers’ hearts (and budgets) flutter.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hair-raisers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hair-raisers. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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