nerve-racking

adjective

nerve-rack·​ing ˈnərv-ˌra-kiŋ 

variants or nerve-wracking

: extremely trying on the nerves

a nerve-racking ordeal

The job interview was a nerve-racking experience.

Synonyms of nerve-racking

• uneasy
• disturbing
• tense
• nervous
• anxious
• unsettling
• distressful
• unnerving
• restless

Examples of nerve-racking in a Sentence

the nerve-racking wait to learn the identities of the passengers who were killed in the plane crash

Recent Examples on the Web

The plan was to have more time to write, but early 2020 found me near the end of a nerve-racking, preposterously difficult restoration, grandchildren-deep in debt, and with a small hotel on an island no one had heard of. — Literary Hub, 15 July 2026

That’s the nerve-racking part of this (World Cup); the watching, the waiting. — Michael Silver, New York Times, 23 June 2026

Making your Major League debut is nerve-racking enough, but doing so while trying to preserve a no-hitter is a different kind of pressure. — Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026

Feeling the weight of an entire country seems like a nerve-racking prospect, but the women of BINI take it in stride. — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 17 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1812, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for nerve-racking

• hydrocracking
• attacking
• backpacking
• backtracking
• hijacking
• kayaking
• meatpacking
• ransacking
• repacking
• unpacking
• backing
• blacking