hair-raising
/ˈhɛːreɪzɪŋ
/adjective
Extremely alarming, astonishing, or frightening: hair-raising adventures...
- A family is setting off on what many would consider a hair-raising adventure by upping roots and moving to the other side of the globe.
- The howling of the sirens, which shriek to announce the beginning and end of each air raid alarm, merge into a single, hair-raising noise.
- Even within such parameters I have had plenty of adventures of my own abroad, some more hair-raising than others.
Synonyms
terrifying, frightening, petrifying, alarming, chilling, horrifying, shocking, scaring, spine-chilling, blood-curdling, appalling, dreadful, fearsome, nightmarish;
eerie, sinister, weird, ghostly, unearthly;
Scottish eldritch
informal hairy, spooky, scary, creepy, spine-tingling