white-knuckle
adjective
white-knuck·le
ˈ(h)wīt-ˈnə-kəl 
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
Christian DeBenedetti
Examples of white-knuckle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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
Its story beats haven’t changed much, retaining the white-knuckle jump scares and looming dread of the original.
—Aimee Hart, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2024
Mozer tells the Nova massacre story as a white-knuckle action thriller, interviewing about a dozen survivors of the attack — all of whom are in their 20s — to detail their fear, pain and, to an extent, their hopes for the future.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Sep. 2024
Deaver and Maldonado have crafted a white-knuckle ride, although its forward momentum is undercut at times by overexplaining in clumps of exposition rather than allowing the reader to catch up more organically.
—Paula L. Woods, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for white-knuckle 
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Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 29 Oct. 2024
Its story beats haven’t changed much, retaining the white-knuckle jump scares and looming dread of the original.
—Aimee Hart, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2024
Mozer tells the Nova massacre story as a white-knuckle action thriller, interviewing about a dozen survivors of the attack — all of whom are in their 20s — to detail their fear, pain and, to an extent, their hopes for the future.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Sep. 2024
Deaver and Maldonado have crafted a white-knuckle ride, although its forward momentum is undercut at times by overexplaining in clumps of exposition rather than allowing the reader to catch up more organically.
—Paula L. Woods, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for white-knuckle
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 15 Nov. 2024.
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