make someone's hair stand on end
Cause primal fear
To make someone's hair stand on end is to frighten or horrify them—evoking the physical response where fear causes body hair to rise.
The phrase works for genuine terror or strong unease: The sound of footsteps in the empty house made my hair stand on end.
It can also describe anything eerily unsettling: Some of those old photographs make your hair stand on end.
- blood-curdlingExtremely frightening, viscerally
- ghostsSpirits of the deceased
- bump in the nightUnexplained nighttime disturbance
- spine-chillingIntensely frightening or eerie
- scared stiffImmobilized by extreme fright
blood run cold · terror · goosebumps · fight-or-flight response · haunted houses · monsters · chills · cold sweat · dread · fear of the unknown · shivering · hair-raising · supernatural events · electrifying · fright · panic · nightmares · unease
make someone's hair stand on endsoothe
Gently ease discomfort
put at ease · comfort · reassure · calm · relax
make someone's hair stand on endrelax
Become less tense
sedate · put to sleep · numb · anesthetize · deaden
make someone's hair stand on enddelight
Intense pleasure or satisfaction
enchant · tickle pink · gladden · cheer