nervous

ner·vous | \ ˈnər-vəs

Definition of nervous

1a : 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

2a : 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

Other Words from nervous Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about nervous

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Choose the Right Synonym for nervous

vigorous, energetic, strenuous, lusty, nervous mean having or showing great vitality and force. vigorous further implies showing no signs of depletion or diminishing of freshness or robustness. as vigorous as a youth half his age energetic suggests a capacity for intense activity. an energetic campaigner strenuous suggests a preference for coping with the arduous or the challenging. the strenuous life on an oil rig lusty implies exuberant energy and capacity for enjoyment. a lusty appetite for life nervous suggests especially the forcibleness and sustained effectiveness resulting from mental vigor. full of nervous energy

Examples of nervous in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples on the Web Some of his staff members are nervous about returning to work as in-person court hearings resume this week. — Scott Huddleston, ExpressNews.com, "Bexar County DA says he’s tightened scrutiny of police conduct," 15 June 2020 This shared trait hints that evolution may have equipped nervous systems to spontaneously generate a foundational movement pattern, a solution that works better than any other strategy for a blind search. — Quanta Magazine, "Random Search Wired Into Animals May Help Them Hunt," 11 June 2020 The decline for hospitals and residential nursing homes may not be surprising given that many people are nervous about physically going to a large medical facility of any kind in the midst of a pandemic. — Sy Mukherjee, Fortune, "There’s been a strange fluctuation in the health care job market during the pandemic," 10 June 2020 Newspaper deliveryman Greg Dailey is going above and beyond to help his elderly neighbors who are nervous about buying groceries during the coronavirus pandemic. — Jason Duaine Hahn, PEOPLE.com, "Newspaper Deliveryman Has Made 500 Grocery Runs for Seniors During the Coronavirus Pandemic," 10 June 2020 Understandably, people are nervous about leaving their homes for groceries or for a stroll, let alone traveling and staying in a hotel. — Linda Laban, USA TODAY, "Can cleaning tech make people feel safe at hotels amid the coronavirus pandemic?," 9 June 2020 Several were nervous about the political consequences. — Robin Wright, The New Yorker, "The Secret Project That Led to Black Lives Matter Murals Coast to Coast," 9 June 2020 There’s no time to worry about potentially offending those who get nervous when a black man raises his voice. — David Betancourt, Washington Post, "Pay attention to John Boyega’s real words, not the space adventure where he got short shrift," 5 June 2020 But his prospective mother-in-law was nervous about marrying her beautiful 17-year-old daughter, Natalia Goncharova, to a man under surveillance. — The Economist, "A quarantine rhapsody For Alexander Pushkin, lockdown was liberating," 4 June 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nervous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.