as in tense
marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings
for a couple of nail-biting moments we thought that we had actually won the mega lottery
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Recent Examples of nail-biting
So how does his experience watching a nail-biting match from the stands differ from playing in one?
—
Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026
Minutes before, a six-minute communications blackout with mission controllers made for a nail-biting finish to the mission as the capsule plunged through Earth’s atmosphere.
—Denise Chow, NBC news, 11 Apr. 2026
Mizzou earned a nail-biting 89-84 victory over Southeast Missouri in its home opener.
—Joseph Pastilha, Kansas City Star, 5 Apr. 2026
The fans had to endure nail-biting conclusions in away victories over Manchester United in August, Everton in December, and Bournemouth and Chelsea in January (in the Carabao Cup).
—Nnamdi Onyeagwara, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Fellow contenders include Josh Safdie's nail-biting collab with Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme, and Joachim Trier's poignant family tale, Sentimental Value, which each earned nine nods, while Chloé Zhao's heartbreaking Hamnet followed with eight.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026
But the auctioning of legendary guitars brought the most money — and swear-inducing, nail-biting stress — to the event.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2026
The Boston Terriers men’s basketball team advanced to the Patriot League finals on Sunday with a nail-biting victory over the Navy Midshipmen, 73-72.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 9 Mar. 2026
With 33 total medals and plenty of nail-biting moments, Team USA just delivered its best Winter Games ever.
—Ronnie Li, USA Today, 25 Feb. 2026
Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026
Minutes before, a six-minute communications blackout with mission controllers made for a nail-biting finish to the mission as the capsule plunged through Earth’s atmosphere.
—Denise Chow, NBC news, 11 Apr. 2026
Mizzou earned a nail-biting 89-84 victory over Southeast Missouri in its home opener.
—Joseph Pastilha, Kansas City Star, 5 Apr. 2026
The fans had to endure nail-biting conclusions in away victories over Manchester United in August, Everton in December, and Bournemouth and Chelsea in January (in the Carabao Cup).
—Nnamdi Onyeagwara, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Fellow contenders include Josh Safdie's nail-biting collab with Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme, and Joachim Trier's poignant family tale, Sentimental Value, which each earned nine nods, while Chloé Zhao's heartbreaking Hamnet followed with eight.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026
But the auctioning of legendary guitars brought the most money — and swear-inducing, nail-biting stress — to the event.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2026
The Boston Terriers men’s basketball team advanced to the Patriot League finals on Sunday with a nail-biting victory over the Navy Midshipmen, 73-72.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 9 Mar. 2026
With 33 total medals and plenty of nail-biting moments, Team USA just delivered its best Winter Games ever.
—Ronnie Li, USA Today, 25 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nail-biting
Adjective
-
Relations between China and Taiwan have been tense since 2016 when the Taiwanese public elected Tsai Ing-wen from the Democratic Progressive Party as president.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Is this a particularly tense time for them?—
Cressida Leyshon,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
This kind of bare-knuckle politics might explain why so many other GOP leaders are uneasy.—
The Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The entire record is a Trojan horse—a clear vision of white womanhood that hides a whole lot of churning, uneasy feelings.—
Shaad D’Souza,
Pitchfork,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The story centers on a young couple (Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny) whose lives become entangled with their volatile boss and his wife (Isaac and Carey Mulligan) after witnessing a disturbing incident at an elite country club.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
19 Apr. 2026
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Before the footage was shown, as PEOPLE previously reported, Judge George Gallagher warned those in the courtroom that the material would be disturbing.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
From shaping complex, layered roles to creating a world that feels both opulent and unsettling, the panel will unpack the storytelling choices that bring this gripping narrative to life.—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
16 Apr. 2026
-
What is unsettling today is how easily modern leaders still reach for religious language to evade restraint, and how fragile the institutions meant to check them can appear.—
Joëlle Rollo-Koster,
Fortune,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The president and his Cabinet members are giving conflicting statements about the impact of the war on gas prices as Americans grow more anxious about the economic toll that the conflict is taking.—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
21 Apr. 2026
-
This is the move that helps the shyest, most introverted, most socially anxious people relax.—
Henna Pryor,
CNBC,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But with all that protection and all the money spent, neighbors like Brown are still nervous.—
Andy Sheehan,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
His presence made Kennedy nervous.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Attempts to engage with restless residents who worried about where the whole effort was headed.—
John Aguilar,
Denver Post,
19 Apr. 2026
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Inside, the Electric Mayhem band will be cranking out new tunes as the first-ever Audio-Animatronics figure of Scooter and some audio engineer penguins do their best to convince them to stop jamming to get to their increasingly restless fans across town.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
While some progress has been made on the Northwest Side, including the removal of the Legion Park encampment, the problem is still visible and distressing in other parks.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The armed men also burned the local police station and a police vehicle and stole livestock, adding to the already distressing outlook of widespread hunger remaining in Haiti through the end of June.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nail-biting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nail-biting. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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