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
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
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
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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
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
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 22 Dec. 2024.
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