white-knuckled.

Experiencing or displaying intense tension or fear, as if gripping something hard enough to pale the knuckles.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• a white-knuckled grip
• white-knuckled passengers
• a white-knuckled ride

On the page

Her white-knuckled grip stayed fixed on the safety bar.

The white-knuckled passengers watched the runway emerge from the fog.

He described the descent as a white-knuckled ride, not a heroic adventure.

Usage notes

Primary category: fear. Conventional figurative adjective; it may describe an experience as fear-inducing as well as a person’s tense grip. White-knuckle is a dictionary variant, not another record. Normally non-gradable in this sense; degree words describe intensity, not a regular comparison.