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

Of course, Houston, which had won seven consecutive games vs. Colorado entering the day, made the Rockies white-knuckle it in the ninth. —Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 3 July 2025

Sudeikis shared his fondest memory of Wendt in a 2017 interview with The A.V. Club, recalling a white-knuckle drive in his uncle's BMW with his dad. —Carson Blackwelder, People.com, 1 June 2025

To find immortality, Natalie Portman and John Krasinski first had to survive a white-knuckle car chase. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 24 May 2025

Each new incident expands the ranks of white-knuckle flyers, leaving them with shaken confidence. —Allen Adamson, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for white-knuckle

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