white-knuckle

adjective

white-knuck·​le ˈ(h)wīt-ˈnə-kəl 

variants or less commonly white-knuckled

ˈ(h)wīt-ˈnə-kəld 

: marked by, causing, or experiencing tense nervousness

a white-knuckle ride on a roller coaster

a white-knuckle passenger

white-knuckler

ˈ(h)wīt-ˈnə-k(ə-)lər 

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

There’s also a white-knuckle brush with disaster during an international commercial flight and a trippy zip through the Berlin night that’s like Run Lola Run on a bicycle. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Feb. 2025

There's plenty left to mine in future seasons, but the season 4 finale, with its lack of white-knuckle cliffhangers, could potentially serve as the series' swan song. —Randall Colburn, EW.com, 7 Feb. 2025

This film is a primal howl, a white-knuckle ride that explores the devastating fragility of the human condition. —Leo Barraclough, Variety, 5 Feb. 2025

Here, local ornithologists and wildlife experts share the best places to see our national bird this winter — no white-knuckle drive required. —Jamie Siebrase, The Denver Post, 5 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for white-knuckle

• buckle
• chicle
• chuckle
• knuckle
• muckle
• suckle
• tical
• honeysuckle