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 addition to acting, Collins was also a novelist, authoring psychosexual thrillers Eye Contact and Double Exposure.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
3 May 2026
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There’s a theme that’s emerging amongst the best sci-fi thrillers, and that’s in the exploration of artificial intelligence, its capabilities, and its perils.—
Grace Dean,
Space.com,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hair-raisers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hair-raisers. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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