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nail-biter
or nail bit·er
[ neyl-bahy-ter ]
/ ˈneɪlˌbaɪ tər /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
a person who bites their nails, especially habitually.
a situation marked by anxiety or tension.
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Origin of nail-biter
1970–75
OTHER WORDS FROM nail-biter
nail-biting, nounWords nearby nail-biter
Naida, naïf, nail, nail bar, nail bed, nail-biter, nail-biting, nail bomb, nailbrush, nailclipper, nail down
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use nail-biter in a sentence
It's a real nail-biter for a small clutch of Hollywood agents, each of them wondering who will hit the movie-making lottery.
The passage of health-care reform will suddenly shift from sure-thing to nail-biter.
He'd been a nail-biter when he was a kid, but he'd kicked the habit when we got to high school.
Little Brother|Cory Doctorow
British Dictionary definitions for nail-biter
nailbiter
/ (ˈneɪlˌbaɪtə) /
noun
a person who bites his or her nails
a person who is anxious or tense
something that causes anxiety or tension
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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