white-knuckle
/ˌwaɪtˈnʌk.əl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌwaɪtˈnʌk.əl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈ(h)wīt-ˈnə-kəl/ (ame, mw)
white-knuckle — adjective
1. describes an event, activity, or performance that produces a powerful mixture of
describes an event, activity, or performance that produces a powerful mixture of intense fear and thrilling excitement at the same time.
The roller coaster at the amusement park gave Caio and his friends a truly white-knuckle ride.
attributive use before noun 'ride'
Watching a horror film alone at midnight was a white-knuckle experience for Yael.
attributive use before noun 'experience'
The pilot announced severe turbulence, turning the flight into a white-knuckle ordeal for everyone on board.
Defne gripped her seat so tightly during the white-knuckle chase scene that her knuckles turned white.
For thrill-seekers like Jabari, a white-knuckle adventure weekend is the perfect holiday.
- hair-raising
more strongly focused on the fear element; often used for physical danger
- spine-tingling
similar mixture of fear and excitement, but often used for suspense rather than physical danger
- nerve-racking
focuses on anxiety and stress without the excitement component
- thrilling
emphasises excitement and pleasure; the fear element is weaker or absent
文法句型
white-knuckle + noun (ride / experience / flight / movie)
用法筆記
Almost always used attributively — placed before a noun such as 'ride', 'flight', 'movie', or 'experience'. It is rarely used after a linking verb (e.g. 'The movie was white-knuckle').