white-knuckle

/ˌwaɪtˈnʌk.əl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌwaɪtˈnʌk.əl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈ(h)wīt-ˈnə-kəl/ (ame, mw)

white-knuckle — 形容詞

1. describes an event, activity, or performance that produces a powerful mixture of

1.形容詞B2
釋義

驚險刺激的

既害怕又興奮的經歷

describes an event, activity, or performance that produces a powerful mixture of intense fear and thrilling excitement at the same time.

例句

The roller coaster at the amusement park gave Caio and his friends a truly white-knuckle ride.

遊樂園的雲霄飛車帶給 Caio 和朋友們一趟驚險刺激的 ride。

attributive use before noun 'ride'

Watching a horror film alone at midnight was a white-knuckle experience for Yael.

午夜獨自看恐怖片對 Yael 來說是一次既害怕又興奮的經驗。

attributive use before noun 'experience'

同義詞
  • 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').

常見錯誤

❌The turbulence was white-knuckle' (it was only frightening, not exciting).
✅The turbulence turned the flight into a white-knuckle experience.
💡white-knuckle implies both fear and excitement together, not just fear.