nervous

adjective

ner·vous ˈnər-vəs How to pronounce nervous (audio)

: timid, apprehensive

a nervous smile

nervous of strangers

: easily excited or irritated : jumpy

… so nervous that he had to be escorted outside court to vomit …

Kevin Johnson and Andrea Stone

: of or relating to the nerves

also : originating in or affected by the nerves

nervous energy

a nervous twitch

: tending to produce nervousness or agitation : uneasy

a nervous situation

His face was twisted in nervous anticipation.

Dagoberto Gilb

: appearing or acting unsteady, erratic, or irregular

—used of inanimate things

… climbed carefully into his nervous kayak …

Farley Mowat

: of, relating to, or composed of neurons

: marked by strength of thought, feeling, or style : spirited

a vibrant tight-packed nervous style of writing

archaic : sinewy, strong

nervously adverb

nervousness noun

Example Sentences

She is nervous about her job interview. All this waiting is making me nervous. He gave a nervous glance at the clock. His nervous mother is always worrying that something terrible will happen to him. He has a nervous disposition. It was a very nervous situation. She suffers from a nervous disorder. He walked around with a nervous twitch. He had a nervous habit of pulling at his hair. The boy has a lot of nervous energy. See More

Recent Examples on the Web Leading up to the Bills’ season-opening win over the Los Angeles Rams, Rivero was nervous.

Safid Deen, USA TODAY, 13 Sep. 2022 Matt Hasselbeck hadn’t been this nervous before a football game in almost 10 years.

Mike Mcmahon, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Sep. 2022 As one of the latest bloomers on the women’s tennis circuit, Ons Jabeur could be forgiven for feeling nervous.

Joshua Robinson, WSJ, 9 Sep. 2022 What causes a sudden feeling of being nervous and having your chest beat hard and restless?

Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 8 Sep. 2022 Chrissy talked about being nervous before making the announcement on social media.

Jonathan Landrum Jr., ajc, 8 Sep. 2022 These days, the ones feeling nervous are public health officials and other medical experts.

Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2022 Standing in line with several hundred other freshman, about to start their first year at the University of Indianapolis, Kaiden Wickline was a little nervous.

Arika Herron, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Aug. 2022 Feeling nervous or stressed about an upcoming event is a normal emotional reaction.

Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 12 Aug. 2022 See More

nervous

adjective

as in worried

feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty he was nervous about how he would do at the varsity basketball tryouts

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

worried
anxious
upset
uneasy
apprehensive
troubled
concerned
uptight
perturbed
flustered
tense
jittery
disturbed
hesitant
jumpy
queasy
insecure
freaked
bothered
antsy
queazy
nervy
goosey
distraught
preoccupied
on edge
aflutter
obsessed
unquiet
dithery
hung up
on tenterhooks
edgy
hinky
restless
keyed up
het up
disquieted
ill at ease
distressed
atwitter
fretful
aggrieved
on pins and needles
vexed
misgiving
freaked-out
unnerved
foreboding
fidgety
fretting
unstrung
stewing
fluttery
qualmish
shook-up
twittered
qualmy
skittish
spooky
high-strung
undone
flighty
hypertense

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

calm
relaxed
easy
confident
cool
nerveless
sure
collected
happy-go-lucky
controlled
self-assured
self-confident
self-controlled

as in uneasy

marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings a nervous silence filled the room as the teacher handed out the graded exams

Synonyms & Similar Words

uneasy
anxious
tense
disturbing
restless
unsettling
agitating
creepy
unnerving
nerve-wracking
distressful
worrisome
embarrassing
fraught
nerve-racking
disquieting
distressing
hairy
awkward
troublesome
strained
nail-biting
discouraging
misgiving
bothersome
foreboding
restive
disheartening
unrestful

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

comfortable
easy
calming
quiet
peaceful
tranquil
quieting
restful
pacific

as in excitable

easily excited by nature a nervous sort of person, she's completely thrown by anything unexpected

Synonyms & Similar Words

excitable
anxious
jittery
unstable
hyper
jumpy
volatile
irritable
hyperexcitable
emotional
fluttery
hyperkinetic
hyperactive
intense
spasmodic
skittish
spooky
skittery
high-strung
sensitive
flighty
uptight
tense
fiddle-footed
volcanic
soulful
hypersensitive
temperamental
nervy
mercurial
dramatic
edgy
testy
hot-blooded
irascible
melodramatic
emotionalistic
flibbertigibbety
histrionic
touchy
perturbable
prickly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

unflappable
unexcitable
imperturbable
calm
nerveless
unshakable
serene
cool
collected
tranquil
relaxed
easy
easygoing
laid-back

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of nervous are energetic, lusty, strenuous, and vigorous. While all these words mean "having or showing great vitality and force," nervous suggests especially the forcibleness and sustained effectiveness resulting from mental vigor.

full of nervous energy

Although the words energetic and nervous have much in common, energetic suggests a capacity for intense activity.

an energetic campaigner

While in some cases nearly identical to nervous, lusty implies exuberant energy and capacity for enjoyment.

a lusty appetite for life

While the synonyms strenuous and nervous are close in meaning, strenuous suggests a preference for coping with the arduous or the challenging.

the strenuous life on an oil rig

The meanings of vigorous and nervous largely overlap; however, vigorous further implies showing no signs of depletion or diminishing of freshness or robustness.

as vigorous as a youth half his age

单词	nervous
释义	nervous adjective ner·vous ˈnər-vəs 1 a : timid, apprehensive a nervous smile nervous of strangers b : easily excited or irritated : jumpy … so nervous that he had to be escorted outside court to vomit … Kevin Johnson and Andrea Stone c : of or relating to the nerves also : originating in or affected by the nerves nervous energy a nervous twitch 2 a : tending to produce nervousness or agitation : uneasy a nervous situation His face was twisted in nervous anticipation. Dagoberto Gilb b : appearing or acting unsteady, erratic, or irregular —used of inanimate things … climbed carefully into his nervous kayak … Farley Mowat 3 : of, relating to, or composed of neurons 4 : marked by strength of thought, feeling, or style : spirited a vibrant tight-packed nervous style of writing 5 archaic : sinewy, strong nervously adverb nervousness noun Synonyms aflutter antsy anxious atwitter dithery edgy goosey het up hinky [slang] hung up ill at ease insecure jittery jumpy nervy perturbed queasy queazy tense troubled uneasy unquiet upset uptight worried See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences She is nervous about her job interview. All this waiting is making me nervous. He gave a nervous glance at the clock. His nervous mother is always worrying that something terrible will happen to him. He has a nervous disposition. It was a very nervous situation. She suffers from a nervous disorder. He walked around with a nervous twitch. He had a nervous habit of pulling at his hair. The boy has a lot of nervous energy. See More Recent Examples on the Web Leading up to the Bills’ season-opening win over the Los Angeles Rams, Rivero was nervous. Safid Deen, USA TODAY, 13 Sep. 2022 Matt Hasselbeck hadn’t been this nervous before a football game in almost 10 years. Mike Mcmahon, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Sep. 2022 As one of the latest bloomers on the women’s tennis circuit, Ons Jabeur could be forgiven for feeling nervous. Joshua Robinson, WSJ, 9 Sep. 2022 What causes a sudden feeling of being nervous and having your chest beat hard and restless? Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 8 Sep. 2022 Chrissy talked about being nervous before making the announcement on social media. Jonathan Landrum Jr., ajc, 8 Sep. 2022 These days, the ones feeling nervous are public health officials and other medical experts. Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2022 Standing in line with several hundred other freshman, about to start their first year at the University of Indianapolis, Kaiden Wickline was a little nervous. Arika Herron, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Aug. 2022 Feeling nervous or stressed about an upcoming event is a normal emotional reaction. Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 12 Aug. 2022 See More Word History Etymology Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French nervus, nervous, borrowed from Latin nervōsus "full of tendons, sinewy, tough, vigorous (of a person or literary style)," from nervus "sinew, muscle, nerve entry 1" + -ōsus -ous First Known Use 14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 5 Phrases Containing nervous central nervous system autonomic nervous system nervous Nellie nervous energy nervous breakdown nervous wreck peripheral nervous system nervous system parasympathetic nervous system sympathetic nervous system nervous Nelly See More central nervous system autonomic nervous system nervous Nellie nervous energy nervous breakdown nervous wreck peripheral nervous system nervous system parasympathetic nervous system sympathetic nervous system nervous Nelly See More Kids Definition nervous adjective ner·vous ˈnər-vəs 1 : having or showing feelings of worry, fear, or anxiety Having to give a speech makes me nervous. 2 : easily becoming worried, frightened, or anxious She's a nervous driver. 3 : of, relating to, or made up of nerves or nerve cells nervous tissue Medical Definition nervous adjective ner·vous ˈnər-vəs 1 : of, relating to, or composed of neurons the nervous layer of the eye 2 a : of or relating to the nerves also : originating in or affected by the nerves nervous energy b : easily excited or irritated nervous adjective 1 as in worried feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty he was nervous about how he would do at the varsity basketball tryouts Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance worried anxious upset uneasy apprehensive troubled concerned uptight perturbed flustered tense jittery disturbed hesitant jumpy queasy insecure freaked bothered antsy queazy nervy goosey distraught preoccupied on edge aflutter obsessed unquiet dithery hung up on tenterhooks edgy hinky restless keyed up het up disquieted ill at ease distressed atwitter fretful aggrieved on pins and needles vexed misgiving freaked-out unnerved foreboding fidgety fretting unstrung stewing fluttery qualmish shook-up twittered qualmy skittish spooky high-strung undone flighty hypertense Antonyms & Near Antonyms calm relaxed easy confident cool nerveless sure collected happy-go-lucky controlled self-assured self-confident self-controlled See More 2 as in uneasy marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings a nervous silence filled the room as the teacher handed out the graded exams Synonyms & Similar Words uneasy anxious tense disturbing restless unsettling agitating creepy unnerving nerve-wracking distressful worrisome embarrassing fraught nerve-racking disquieting distressing hairy awkward troublesome strained nail-biting discouraging misgiving bothersome foreboding restive disheartening unrestful Antonyms & Near Antonyms comfortable easy calming quiet peaceful tranquil quieting restful pacific See More 3 as in excitable easily excited by nature a nervous sort of person, she's completely thrown by anything unexpected Synonyms & Similar Words excitable anxious jittery unstable hyper jumpy volatile irritable hyperexcitable emotional fluttery hyperkinetic hyperactive intense spasmodic skittish spooky skittery high-strung sensitive flighty uptight tense fiddle-footed volcanic soulful hypersensitive temperamental nervy mercurial dramatic edgy testy hot-blooded irascible melodramatic emotionalistic flibbertigibbety histrionic touchy perturbable prickly Antonyms & Near Antonyms unflappable unexcitable imperturbable calm nerveless unshakable serene cool collected tranquil relaxed easy easygoing laid-back See More Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of nervous are energetic, lusty, strenuous, and vigorous. While all these words mean "having or showing great vitality and force," nervous suggests especially the forcibleness and sustained effectiveness resulting from mental vigor. full of nervous energy Although the words energetic and nervous have much in common, energetic suggests a capacity for intense activity. an energetic campaigner While in some cases nearly identical to nervous, lusty implies exuberant energy and capacity for enjoyment. a lusty appetite for life While the synonyms strenuous and nervous are close in meaning, strenuous suggests a preference for coping with the arduous or the challenging. the strenuous life on an oil rig The meanings of vigorous and nervous largely overlap; however, vigorous further implies showing no signs of depletion or diminishing of freshness or robustness. as vigorous as a youth half his age Phrases Containing nervous nervous breakdown nervous Nellie nervous wreck nervous Nelly nervous breakdown nervous Nellie nervous wreck nervous Nelly
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nervous

adjective

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing nervous

Kids Definition

adjective

Medical Definition

adjective

adjective

Synonym Chooser

Phrases Containing nervous