1
as in worried
feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty
he was nervous about how he would do at the varsity basketball tryouts
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in excitable
easily excited by nature
a nervous sort of person, she's completely thrown by anything unexpected
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nervous
When people are nervous, leeches pick up on that.
—
Blair Braverman, Outside, 21 Jan. 2026
The strategies and statistics that can help ease a fear of flying, according to psychologists, aviation experts, and nervous fliers themselves.
—Sophie Prideaux, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Jan. 2026
Sofia Fuentes, Selena Gomez Castro, Michelle Grados, Sanaii Horne, Akila Solomon, Mia Mateu, Meredith Ortiz, Aiden Pupo and Mauricio Sarria were called individually onto the stage — some appearing excited and others nervous — to be rewarded for their positive decisions.
—Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 21 Jan. 2026
Naturally, Duff was a little nervous for her return to performing.
—Meg Walters, InStyle, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nervous
Blair Braverman, Outside, 21 Jan. 2026
The strategies and statistics that can help ease a fear of flying, according to psychologists, aviation experts, and nervous fliers themselves.
—Sophie Prideaux, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Jan. 2026
Sofia Fuentes, Selena Gomez Castro, Michelle Grados, Sanaii Horne, Akila Solomon, Mia Mateu, Meredith Ortiz, Aiden Pupo and Mauricio Sarria were called individually onto the stage — some appearing excited and others nervous — to be rewarded for their positive decisions.
—Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 21 Jan. 2026
Naturally, Duff was a little nervous for her return to performing.
—Meg Walters, InStyle, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nervous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nervous
Adjective
-
When Edmond LaFave missed two days of work in February 1975, a worried friend headed to his North Park home to check on him.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
-
His family was worried sick, and Jones said Johnson had stormed out of the home after an argument.—
Mike Hellgren,
CBS News,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Chalk the moves up to uneasy investors.—
Brandon Kochkodin,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Kelly and King shake things up around the half-hour mark by venturing into the real world, where Grace (Cristin Milioti), the mother of two boys unusually far apart in age, starts being overcome by uneasy feelings about a cold dark void.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The venue was crammed with excitable 20- and 30-something women, among them Willa Bennett, the editor of Cosmopolitan and Seventeen.—
Carrie Battan,
Vulture,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Golden retrievers of all ages — from excitable puppies playing in the mud to more mature canines roaming in Santa hats and fairy costumes — filled the park as owners sat drinking yerba mate, a typical Argentine drink, and taking pictures.—
Miguel Lo Bianco,
USA Today,
16 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Flat, calm but earnest, mildly anxious, blunted, volatile.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Times of Troy survey After an anxious few weeks for Trojan fans, USC finally has its next defensive coordinator.—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The latest shooting adds to a tense standoff between Minnesota authorities and federal immigration agents that has persisted for weeks.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Locals know that even a routine-looking forecast can turn this stretch into a slow, tense drive once storms hit the Sierra.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Buss reportedly was upset with the way James dismissed his part in pursuing Westbrook and blamed others after the move failed, according to ESPN.—
Janis Carr,
Oc Register,
23 Jan. 2026
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The 14-year-old’s girlfriend told investigators that Givens had threatened over Snapchat to kill her 1½-year-old son and that the 14-year-old was upset about it, the complaint says.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
According to The Marshall Project, federal officers fired on at least nine people in their vehicles over a four-month period, evidence of a disturbing pattern.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Zhang was quickly identified as a suspect based on her allegedly increasingly disturbing behavior, according to authorities.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Oklahoma providers and patients are apprehensive about WISeR's payment model and how the program could impact access to care for the nation’s growing aging population.—
Jillian Taylor,
StateImpact,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Slocum said that so far, voters of all political stripes have been apprehensive about these facilities.—
Emily L Mahoney,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nervous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nervous. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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