as in thriller
something (as a close contest) that induces much suspense as to its outcome
a presidential election that was one of the great nail-biters of all time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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-biter
Not every movie needs to be a nail-biter, and not every plot needs to be engineered like a Maserati.
—
Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 7 July 2025
When the voters were counted, the margin was close, but not exactly a nail-biter.
—David Mark, The Washington Examiner, 4 July 2025
This is a rare nail-biter for SDNY – far from a slam-dunk.
—Tracy Wright , Lauryn Overhultz , Maria Paronich , Brendan McDonald, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2025
With Daya and Ginger advancing, the last nail-biter comes down to whether Denali or Cynthia will advance.
—Chris Feil, Vulture, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for nail-biter
Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 7 July 2025
When the voters were counted, the margin was close, but not exactly a nail-biter.
—David Mark, The Washington Examiner, 4 July 2025
This is a rare nail-biter for SDNY – far from a slam-dunk.
—Tracy Wright , Lauryn Overhultz , Maria Paronich , Brendan McDonald, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2025
With Daya and Ginger advancing, the last nail-biter comes down to whether Denali or Cynthia will advance.
—Chris Feil, Vulture, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for nail-biter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nail-biter
thriller
Noun
-
The film received the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films’ best thriller award in 2025, as well as the STIGES Film Festival Grand People’s Choice Award.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
24 July 2025
-
Set against a backdrop of music, madness and raw unpredictability of nature, the film follows a meet-cute that spirals into a survival thriller.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
24 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nail-biter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nail-biter. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share