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Synonyms

white-knuckle

American  
[hwahyt-nuhk-uhl, wahyt-] / ˈʰwaɪtˈnʌk əl, ˈwaɪt- /
Often white-knuckled

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 British  

adjective

  1. causing or experiencing fear or anxiety

    a white-knuckle ride
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Watching this white-knuckle ride from mission control was an anxiety inducing experience.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

U.S. energy stocks have vaulted upward despite white-knuckle moments when oil prices seesawed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

So, in a new year, while we’re still holding onto resolutions with a white-knuckle grip, these are a few things that film culture should leave on the cutting room floor.

From Salon • Jan. 11, 2026

Perched 8,750 feet up in a box canyon in the Colorado Rockies, it’s reachable only by twisting roads or a white-knuckle drop into one of the nation’s highest airports.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 28, 2025

The effort made him dizzy, and he had to white-knuckle the wood until his head cleared.

From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.