hair-raising
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hair-raising
First recorded in 1895–1900
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The quiet was hair-raising in its own way.
From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2026
Mr. Deakins’s most personal writing comes early in his book, describing his youthful exploits documenting wars in Zimbabwe and Eritrea, as well as a hair-raising experience filming a sailing trip around the globe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
For 15 hair-raising minutes, the pilots struggled to evade a half-dozen surface-to-air missiles, spraying countermeasures and executing a series of high-G maneuvers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026
Only Samantha Hale, raised in Los Angeles on “Top Ramen and fear,” could make hair-raising terror this funny.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2025
As for the children being proof of the value of Penelope’s education...well, the Incorrigibles’ best behavior was very good indeed, but their less-than-best could be positively hair-raising.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
