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

This all makes great set dressing for the races, which are white-knuckle intense. — Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 26 June 2026

The president as a maniacal urban planner is a white-knuckle ride, with Washington — and Washingtonians — just holding on for dear life. — Maureen Dowd, Mercury News, 23 June 2026

Do not white-knuckle through this alone. — Lien De Pau, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026

His race-and-brake conduct, darting in and out of traffic, setting the cruise control at 15 to 20 miles per hour over the limit with a cellphone in hand creates a white-knuckle experience for the rest of us, his wife included. — Abigail Abrams, Boston Herald, 5 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for white-knuckle

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