white-knuckle

[ hwahyt-nuhk-uhl, wahyt- ]

adjective

, Informal.

1. causing fear, apprehension, or panic:

   The plane made a white-knuckle approach to the fogged-in airport.

2. experiencing fear, terror, or apprehension:

   The white-knuckle crowd loved that director's newest horror movie.

white-knuckle

adjective

1. causing or experiencing fear or anxiety

   a white-knuckle ride

Example Sentences

“The upbeat sentiment stemming from Friday’s jobs report, where indexes surged following wage-growth data suggesting contained inflationary pressures, has set the stage for a white knuckle event as the forthcoming consumer-price index release looms larger than life,” said Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management.

From Seattle Times

Simon Ursell, its managing director, admits the first month of the trial was "a bit white knuckle".

From BBC

On the next, her ruse misfires and the deadpan falters; the mark assaults her and pursues her in a white knuckle car chase, which she manages to win.

From New York Times

“I’m just really, really sort of trying to white knuckle the present,” she said.

From Seattle Times

Carano, who lost her job on “The Mandalorian” and her UTA agent after Disney, via Lucasfilm, deemed some of her social media posts “abhorrent,” will star in an action-thriller based on the Eric Red novel “White Knuckle.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• close call
• shocker