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View synonyms for nail-biting

nail-biting

[ neyl-bahy-ting ]

noun

  1. the act or practice of biting one's fingernails, especially as the result of anxiety or nervousness.
  2. Informal. nervousness:

    The announcement that the trade agreement had been signed ended a week of nail-biting on Wall Street.



adjective

  1. Informal. causing nervousness:

    The nail-biting part of the canoe trip was through the stretches of white water.

nail-biting

noun

  1. the act or habit of biting one's fingernails
    1. anxiety or tension
    2. ( as modifier )

      nail-biting suspense

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Other Words From

  • nail-biter noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of nail-biting1

First recorded in 1890–95
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Example Sentences

It was all the nail­ biting stuff of keeping up all night working.

Another Sunday, another nail-biting episode of Breaking Bad.

During the nail-biting 2008 Democratic presidential primary, Obama was in it to win it.

There are moments of exultation and frustration, of nail-biting anxiety, and the normal banter that characterizes any workplace.

A sports movie and a redemption story and a drug movie and a nail-biting tale of success!

Certain other childish habits, such as nail-biting, have also been described as sexual manifestations.

Nail biting is an unsightly habit, one that may even hinder one's social acceptance.

When are nail-biting and dirt-eating seen, and how are they to be controlled?

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nail-biternail bomb