nervous

adjective ner·vous \ ˈnər-vəs \

|Updated on: 15 Jul 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: nervous in a Sentence

Definition of nervous

1 archaic : sinewy, strong

2 : marked by strength of thought, feeling, or style : spirited

a vibrant tight-packed nervous style of writing

3 : of, relating to, or composed of neurons

4 a : of or relating to the nerves; also : originating in or affected by the nerves

nervous energy

a nervous twitch

b : easily excited or irritated : jumpy

… so nervous that he had to be escorted outside court to vomit …
—Kevin Johnson and Andrea Stone

c : timid, apprehensive

a nervous smile

nervous of strangers

5 a : 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

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nervously

adverb

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nervousness

noun

See nervous defined for English-language learners

See nervous defined for kids

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 of nervous from the Web

The Red Devils must have been even more nervous when Neymar went down in the box, but the referee correctly waved away his penalty claim.

— james taylor, Pro Soccer USA, "Brazil 1-2 Belgium: Red Devils Shatter Brazil’s Dreams With Clinical Display to Set Up France Clash," 6 July 2018
When considered against the backdrop of Amazon’s ambitions to become an entertainment powerhouse, there are reasons for publishers to go back to being nervous.

— alex shephard, The New Republic, "Amazon’s Audiobook Boom," 2 July 2018
Reservoir senior standout Kai Muniz used to get extremely nervous before races.

— kyle stackpole, Howard County Times, "Kai Muniz builds on indoor success, earns boys outdoor track and field Athlete of the Year," 29 June 2018
When Amy is nervous about an exam, Jake sets up a mock test for her.

— sauleha kamal, The Atlantic, "The Character Who Made Me Love Brooklyn Nine-Nine," 12 June 2018
Vice management was nervous about the story and who might be talking to the reporter — a paranoia that wasn’t unfounded.

— reeves wiedeman, Daily Intelligencer, "A Company Built on a Bluff," 10 June 2018
Marruto wasn't nervous of another tragedy this night, but it's been heavy on his heart since October.

— august brown, latimes.com, "EDC Las Vegas fans handle a post-Avicii, post-massacre world," 20 May 2018
At one point, according to a person who attended, Khosla Ventures partner Samir Kaul joked to nervous laughter that one lucky entrepreneur would win a grand prize: a weekend at Martins Beach.

— Fortune, "Billionaire Vinod Khosla Wants the Supreme Court to Keep People Off His Beach," 24 Apr. 2018
Trump himself looks like a comically petulant child, and John Bolton, the National Security Advisor, appears to be nervous, staunchly standing by the president.

— meagan fredette, refinery29.com, "What Happened In This Iconic Photo Of Angela Merkel & Donald Trump?," 10 June 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of nervous

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French nervus, nervous, borrowed from Latin nervōsus "full of tendons, sinewy, tough, vigorous (of a person or literary style)," from nervus "sinew, muscle, ¹nerve" + -ōsus -ous

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

nervous Synonyms

Phrases

keyed up, on edge, on pins and needles, on tenterhooks;

Synonym Discussion of 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

NERVOUS Defined for English Language Learners

nervous

adjective

Definition of nervous for English Language Learners

: having or showing feelings of being worried and afraid about what might happen
: often or easily becoming worried and afraid about what might happen
: causing someone to feel worried and afraid : making someone nervous