NAIL-BITING Synonyms: 38 Similar and Opposite Words

nail-biting

adjective

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 Condé Nast Traveler sat down with Phuntsok, Peedom, and Hiddleston to discuss recreating Everest’s summit in New Zealand, filming a nail-biting sequence in a seemingly bottomless crevasse, and the power of being an outsider in a team setting. — Tamara Southward, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Oct. 2026 When the discussion came to his Oscar-winning turn in the Coen brothers’ No Country for Old Men (2007), the audience was shown the nail-biting coin toss scene between Bardem’s terrifying killer Anton Chigurh and supporting actor Gene Jones. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2026 Clouzot adapted the book into the 1955 film Diabolique, a nail-biting thriller set at an all-boys boarding school on the outskirts of Paris. — Air Mail, 10 Oct. 2026 Set at a castle deep in the Scottish Highlands, this nail-biting psychological adventure sees contestants work together on a series of exhilarating missions to build a prize fund worth up to $250,000. — Katie Campione, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026 Texas passed its first SEC test with what turned out to be a nail-biting 20-17 win over Tennessee in Knoxville. — Reid Laymance, Houston Chronicle, 27 Sep. 2026 During the nail-biting matchup, Travis, 36, set the NFL record for most yards after a first-quarter catch from Patrick Mahomes that led to a touchdown, surpassing Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk to solidify himself at the top of the list. — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2026 Our final action scene isn’t the biggest or brashest, but certainly the most nail-biting and, pound for pound, the most consequential of the season. — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 20 Sep. 2026 This multi-day celebration of culture, community, and fun fills Lansing’s downtown corridor with delicious flavor, handicrafts, soulful live music, and even nail-biting lucha libre wrestling. — Ashlyn Ware, Midwest Living, 15 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nail-biting

Adjective

Kushner has defended his private sector connections as having enabled the United States to gain leverage and breakthroughs in tense negotiations.

— Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026
British Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge, played by Rory Kinnear, reveals the news to Hal Wyler, Vice President of the United States, played by Rufus Sewell, in a rather tense meeting in London.

— Peter White, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of tense

Adjective

Even when the metaphor is painfully on the nose, the film’s most disturbing images are more than their dramatic limitations and a whale is still an astonishing place to spend a movie.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2026
When her aunt Helena and paralyzed grandmother Regina arrive, the fragile boundaries between everyday life, ancestral superstition and Trina’s increasingly disturbing nightmares begin to collapse.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of disturbing

Adjective

The mystery comedy, loosely inspired by the 1989 film starring Tom Hanks, follows a married couple whose move into the husband's childhood home exposes unsettling secrets in their seemingly quiet suburban neighborhood.

— Danielle Minnetian, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Liminal Yellow can read as warm or slightly unsettling, WGSN says, depending on how it is styled.

— Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of unsettling

Adjective

There’s also reassuring initial bite at the top of the travel, yet the setup doesn’t feel grabby or overly anxious in everyday driving situations.

— Bradley Iger, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2026
Gong’s collection followed the emotional arc of unrequited love, from the first spark and the anxious wait to the social-media sleuthing, a date, and the sudden disappearance that follows.

— Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of anxious

Adjective

Any agency whose main product is activity rather than thinking should be very nervous right now; frankly, some of them should have been nervous years ago.

— Angelica Kopec, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Consumers in the country, nervous about the shaky economy, are loading up on gold jewelry, bars and coins.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of nervous

Adjective

Snapping open and shut the phone satisfied some deep, restless urge, and the same was true for the rotational flourish of the wrist involved in opening and closing the knife.

— Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 17 Oct. 2026
The basal ganglia get better at their job during the first thirty years of life; this is partly why kids are more impulsive and restless than adults.

— Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of restless

Adjective

When the body is starving, the brain will return an incessant and often distressing loop of thoughts about food, an adaptive response designed to prioritize renourishment that clinicians try to harness rather than shut down.

— Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
Balenciaga offered a variety of wide-leg jeans—some with twisted seams and heavy distressing.

— Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of distressing

Browse Nearby Words

nail-biters

nail-biting

nail (down)

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“Nail-biting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nail-biting. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of nail-biting

adjective

Example Sentences

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