hair-raising
/'heə,reiziɳ/
Definition
- Adjective:
- Extremely frightening or terrifying: Causing intense fear, shock, or alarm, often to the point where one imagines their hair standing on end.
- Thrillingly or shockingly exciting: Describing an experience that is both terrifying and exhilarating.
Usage
The adjective "hair-raising" is used to describe situations, stories, events, or experiences that are so frightening or shocking they could metaphorically make one's hair stand on end. It emphasizes a high degree of alarm or thrilling danger.
Examples
- Adjective:
- The documentary featured hair-raising footage of the mountain climbers during the storm.
- She told a hair-raising story about being lost in the forest at night.
- Driving on that icy road was a hair-raising experience.
Advanced Usage
- Used for metaphorical intensity: While it literally refers to the physical reaction of hair standing up due to fear, it is almost always used figuratively to describe psychological terror or extreme tension.
- The hair-raising suspense in the final chapter kept me reading all night.
Variants and Related Words
- Hair-raiser (noun, informal): Something that causes a hair-raising reaction.
- That horror movie was a real hair-raiser.
Synonyms
- Terrifying: Causing extreme fear.
- Spine-chilling: Causing a shiver of fear or excitement.
- Blood-curdling: Extremely frightening or horrifying.
- Alarming: Causing sudden fear or concern.
Antonyms
- Soothing: Having a calming or comforting effect.
- Reassuring: Serving to remove someone's doubts or fears.
- Mundane: Lacking excitement or drama.
Related Idioms
- To make one's hair stand on end: To frighten or shock someone intensely. This is the literal idea behind the adjective "hair-raising."
- The eerie sound in the old house made my hair stand on end.
Adjective
-
extremely alarming
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