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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of nail-biting Once the final paddle was raised, the crowd strolled over to the President’s Suite in Arthur Ashe Stadium for dessert, Honey Deuces, and a front row seat to the nail-biting Djokovic-Navone match. — Paul Chi, Vogue, 31 Aug. 2026 The movie’s nail-biting centerpiece is filmed partly with night-vision lenses, as Bangley cuts down dozens of attackers. — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 Like Rear Window, Wait Until Dark provides nail-biting tension without leaving the comfort of the protagonist’s on-screen home. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Aug. 2026 Koontz, who is famously devoted to his dogs, delivers a book of nail-biting suspense that’s packed with emotion, illustrating how an expert blends genres. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 20 Aug. 2026 Monday’s audience was a daytime homecoming, with the natural espadrille wedges supplying a more casual finish following a nail-biting World Cup victory for Spain. — Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 21 July 2026 The nail-biting finish when Egypt almost knocked out Argentina? — Kendra Nordin Beato, Christian Science Monitor, 20 July 2026 Spain defeated Lionel Messi’s Argentina in a nail-biting World Cup final at MetLife Stadium Sunday. — Juan Claudio Matossian, Vanity Fair, 19 July 2026 After drawing with Egypt, Australia's fate came down to a nail-biting penalty shootout. — Juliana Kim, NPR, 16 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nail-biting

Adjective

After hours of argument that at times grew tense, a hearing Thursday ended without a ruling from Magistrate Judge Lauren Louis, and the Tates were returned to jail.

— Jonny Hallam, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
In Danbury, protesters have had tense confrontations with ICE officers, who responded at least once with pepper spray, according to activists.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of tense

Adjective

As the video popped up on social media and the Spanish-language Facebook group Danbury Al Dia, Hernandez grew uneasy.

— Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 31 Aug. 2026
In addition to Cima and her father, the film centers on Hig and Bangley (Josh Brolin), two very different men whose uneasy partnership is shaped by the harsh realities of their new world.

— Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of uneasy

Adjective

The project follows a husband and wife who buy their dream ranch only to discover the land is alive with ancient spirits, and survival means submitting to increasingly disturbing rituals with each turn of the season.

— Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2026
You might be surprised by just how disturbing The Texas Chain Saw Massacre remains more than 50 years later.

— Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of disturbing

Adjective

That year, the head trainer of the Commanders was found to have been illegally distributing oxycodone to players — an unsettling reminder of the NFL's difficult history with painkillers.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
The quirky robot is a notable departure from the more unsettling machines that typically make headlines today.

— Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of unsettling

Adjective

The letter writer is almost 40 and nervous about living with a romantic partner for the first time.

— Shane O’Neill, Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2026
That energy spike is reinforcing inflation worries in a bond market already nervous about America’s $40 trillion mountain of debt.

— Matt Egan, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of nervous

Adjective

But Timeless is the first release of unheard recordings since 2023, and fans grew restless in the interim, circulating petitions and open letters asking for more from Prince’s storied vaults.

— Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2026
Turner played a restless man drafted into the British Army in the years after World War II.

— L. Sue Baugh, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of restless

Adjective

In response to our distressing new reality, DuVernay has created a thrillingly expansive sequel of sorts, which passionately and persuasively details how the tenets of the 14th Amendment, ratified post–Civil War, are now under systematic attack.

— Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2026
Fecal incontinence is a very distressing symptom, but treatment is available.

— Parents, Parents, 25 Aug. 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 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of nail-biting

adjective

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