hair-raising
Making you shudder
Hair-raising describes something that causes fear, excitement, or shock—intense enough to make the hairs on your body stand up.
A hair-raising roller coaster, a hair-raising near miss on the highway, a hair-raising ghost story.
The term applies equally to genuine danger and thrilling entertainment.
Evoking extreme fear
creepy · horrifying · nightmarish · blood-curdling · spine-tingling · petrifying · bone-chilling · ghoulish
Intensely invigorating or exciting
- electrifyingIntensely thrilling or stimulating
- grippingHolding attention completely
- rivetingCompletely holding one's attention
- breathtakingAstonishingly beautiful or exciting
heart-pounding · edge-of-seat · suspenseful · nail-biting · intense · dramatic · sensational · shocking
Fraught with danger
- hazardousLikely to cause injury
- treacherousDisloyal and dangerous
- riskyInvolving possible harm
- death-defyingRisking life boldly
precarious · life-threatening · deadly · near-miss · white-knuckle · daredevil · high-stakes · reckless
Organized exploratory journey
- safariWildlife observation journey
- skydivingRecreational freefall from aircraft
- mountaineeringSport of climbing peaks
- paraglidingFoot-launched canopy flight
caving · spelunking · rock-climbing · zip-lining · free-falling · hang-gliding · wilderness · backcountry
terrifying
Evoking extreme fear
spooky · creepy · horrifying · nightmarish · blood-curdling · spine-tingling · petrifying · bone-chilling · ghoulish · macabre
exhilarating
Intensely invigorating or exciting
- electrifyingIntensely thrilling or stimulating
- grippingHolding attention completely
- rivetingCompletely holding one's attention
breathtaking · heart-pounding · edge-of-seat · suspenseful · nail-biting · intense · dramatic · sensational · shocking · jaw-dropping
perilous
Fraught with danger
- hazardousLikely to cause injury
- treacherousDisloyal and dangerous
- riskyInvolving possible harm
death-defying · precarious · life-threatening · deadly · near-miss · white-knuckle · daredevil · high-stakes · reckless · breakneck
expedition
Organized exploratory journey
- safariWildlife observation journey
- skydivingRecreational freefall from aircraft
- mountaineeringSport of climbing peaks
paragliding · caving · spelunking · rock-climbing · zip-lining · free-falling · hang-gliding · wilderness · backcountry
- fearfear, dread, afraid, fright, frightened
- creepy feelingseeriness, spookiness, creepiness, dread, foreboding
- fear reactionsscream, scared, gasp, terrified, flinch
- Hyperbolea zillion, bazillion, gazillion, bajillion, zillion
- suspensesuspense, suspenseful, tension, nail-biter, nail-biting
- shiversshiver, shivers, shudder, tremble, trembling
hair-raisingboring
Failing to engage interest
dull · unexciting · monotonous · tedious · humdrum
hair-raisingcalming
Inducing a settled state
soothing · reassuring · relaxing · comforting · tranquilizing
raise, hair, hairy, raised, raising, raises, raiser, spine-chilling, hairspray