haarsträubend
Translation
hair-raising, appalling, shocking, outrageous
Examples
Das war eine haarsträubende Geschichte.
That was a hair-raising story.
Er machte haarsträubende Fehler.
He made appalling mistakes.
Grammar Patterns
[Noun] + to be + hair-raising sth. is hair-raising The story was hair-raising.
hair-raising + [Noun] a hair-raising ... a hair-raising mistake
Similar Words
Synonyms: schrecklich (terrible), entsetzlich (horrific), schockierend (shocking)
Etymology
A compound of 'Haar' (hair) and 'sträuben' (to stand on end). It literally means 'hair-bristling'.
Memory Tips
This is a very visual word. Just imagine a situation so shocking it makes your hair ('Haar') stand on end.