nervier; nerviest
1
archaic : sinewy, strong
2
a
: showing or expressive of calm courage : bold
b
: marked by effrontery or presumption : brash
3
nervily adverb
nerviness noun

Examples of nervy in a Sentence

a nervy performance in the play-offs a nervy film director who's not afraid to take risks The passengers were restless and nervy after the long flight. Too much coffee makes me nervy.
Recent Examples on the Web Michael Folorunsho pulled one back for Verona with a long, swerving shot midway through the second half after teammate Milan Djuric missed a penalty kick, setting up a nervy finale for Roma. Andrew Dampf, USA TODAY, 20 Jan. 2024 Butler responded with a career-high 23 points after attempting 11 3s – his previous high was six – and making five of them en route to a nervy 80-75 win. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2024 And Nagayama’s nervy portrayal, like a cosmic baton of Kafkaesque anguish handed off to him, keeps us just as riveted to a possible injustice. Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2023 Practically the entire premiere is a set piece powered by Temple’s nervy panic, pivoting from the school fight to a home invasion sequence to a gas station shootout over nearly an hour. Alison Herman, Variety, 21 Nov. 2023 Brill, so nervy and and raw as Astrov in Uncle Vanya this summer, is almost frayed to pieces as Reg, able to contort his body into postures that range from unsettling to pathetically funny. Vulture, 29 Oct. 2023 Laughlin — whose beverage of choice is milk — is nervy and idealistic. Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2023 But that movie, for all its missteps, looks increasingly like the noblest of failures, a genuinely nervy, conceptually ambitious folly from which the director has now retreated to this movie’s safer, smugger climes. Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2023 Gray, whose Claudia is nervy and explosive, is a perfect complement to Shamos’s seemingly unassuming, actually arrogant, reckless, cowardly, sensitive Paul. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nervy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nervy was in 1598

Dictionary Entries Near nervy

Cite this Entry

“Nervy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nervy. Accessed 15 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

nervy

adjective
nervier; nerviest
1
a
: showing calm courage : fearless
b
: rudely bold
a nervy salesperson
2
nerviness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on nervy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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