A novel water and hydroxyl-extended one-dimensional dysprosium(III) chain was hydrothermally obtained, which exhibits a relatively high spin-reversal energy barrier of 88.7 K and intrachain ferromagnetic interaction with the coupling constant J(exch) = 3.04 cm(-1) calculated by fitting magnetic susceptibilities using POLY_ANISO program based on ab initio calculations. To deeply understand the respective role of the single-ion anisotropy and intrachain exchange on the effective energy barrier, three crystallographically isostructural analogues containing isotropic Gd(III)-, diamagnetic Y(III)-, as well as Y(III)-doped Dy0.05Y0.95 were prepared and characterized structurally and magnetically. Due to the absence of significant intrachain exchange interaction, the effective energy barrier of the Dy0.05Y0.95 decreased by 9.9 K as compared with that of parent dysprosium(III) chain. Thus, it can be concluded that the intrachain ferromagnetic coupling and the magnetic anisotropy of the Dy(III) ion synergistically enhance the effective energy barrier of the dysprosium(III) chain, in which the single-ion anisotropy becomes more predominant.