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nail-biting
[ neyl-bahy-ting ]
/ ˈneɪlˌbaɪ tɪŋ /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
the act or practice of biting one's fingernails, especially as the result of anxiety or nervousness.
Informal. nervousness: The announcement that the trade agreement had been signed ended a week of nail-biting on Wall Street.
adjective
Informal. causing nervousness: The nail-biting part of the canoe trip was through the stretches of white water.
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Origin of nail-biting
First recorded in 1890–95
OTHER WORDS FROM nail-biting
nail-biter, nounWords nearby nail-biting
naïf, nail, nail bar, nail bed, nail-biter, nail-biting, nail bomb, nailbrush, nailclipper, nail down, nailed-on
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use nail-biting in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for nail-biting
nail-biting
noun
the act or habit of biting one's fingernails
- anxiety or tension
- (as modifier)nail-biting suspense
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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