white-knuckle

adjective

white-knuck·​le ˈ(h)wīt-ˈnə-kəl How to pronounce white-knuckle (audio)
variants or less commonly white-knuckled
: marked by, causing, or experiencing tense nervousness
a white-knuckle ride on a roller coaster
a white-knuckle passenger
white-knuckler noun
plural white-knucklers
The 65-mile speedway connecting Vancouver and the mountain town of Whistler was a white-knuckler for decades. Christian DeBenedetti

Examples of white-knuckle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Then there are the white-knuckle car rides through the Pacific Northwest as an unstoppable cosmic maelstrom rips through its pristine wilderness. Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2024 Of course, that would’ve required a significant level of faith to hold onto Nvidia through some white-knuckle market downturns like the Great Financial Crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Federal Reserve’s most aggressive rate-hiking campaign in over 40 years. Jason Ma, Fortune, 1 Dec. 2024 Between the pandemic, inflation, rising government debts, wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, China’s economic woes, and a white-knuckle U.S. election, many of their warnings have come to feel like realities. Greg McKenna, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2024 Netflix’s white-knuckle slasher-cum-survival thriller stars Yellowstone’s Kelsey Asbille as Iris, a grieving mother seeking alone time and Finn Wittrock as Richard, the serial killer who hunts her. Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 29 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for white-knuckle 

Word History

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of white-knuckle was in 1872

Dictionary Entries Near white-knuckle

Cite this Entry

“White-knuckle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/white-knuckle. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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