unnerve

verb

un·​nerve ˌən-ˈnərv 

unnerved; unnerving; unnerves

transitive verb

1

: to deprive of courage, strength, or steadiness

was unnerved by the enemy's overwhelming show of strength

2

: to cause to become nervous : upset

His strange behavior unnerved her.

unnervingly

ˌən-ˈnər-viŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms of unnerve

• paralyze
• frighten
• terrify
• intimidate
• scare

Choose the Right Synonym for unnerve

unnerve, enervate, unman, emasculate mean to deprive of strength or vigor and the capacity for effective action.

unnerve implies marked often temporary loss of courage, self-control, or power to act.

unnerved by the near collision

enervate suggests a gradual physical or moral weakening (as through luxury or indolence) until one is too feeble to make an effort.

a nation's youth enervated by affluence and leisure

unman implies a loss of manly vigor, fortitude, or spirit.

a soldier unmanned by the terrors of battle

emasculate stresses a depriving of characteristic force by removing something essential.

an amendment that emasculates existing safeguards

Examples of unnerve in a Sentence

Seeing the police in there unnerved me.

She was unnerved by his strange manner.

Recent Examples on the Web

Away from the lectern, the stock-market plunge—as well as concerns about the bond market and Treasury yields—had unnerved some of the president’s top aides, a White House official and a close outside adviser told us. —Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026

Several of the senators have been unnerved by recent statements from admistration officials about taking Greenland by force. —Tara Suter, The Hill, 12 Jan. 2026

Council insiders suggested Camilo’s political background could unnerve some of the chamber’s left-leaning members, especially as the body prepares to work with Mamdani, a democratic socialist. —Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026

The videos shared by robot builder and researcher Logan Olson from October show the training exercise that enables a humanoid unit to suddenly drop to all fours and crawl at an unnerving speed and with unnerving flexibility. —Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 5 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1603, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for unnerve

• conserve
• deserve
• manoeuvre
• observe
• preserve
• reserve
• subserve
• curve
• mirv
• nerve
• serve
• swerve

Kids Definition

unnerve

verb

un·​nerve ˌən-ˈnərv 

ˈən-

unnerved; unnerving

: to deprive of nerve, courage, or self-control

the accident unnerved me