nervier; nerviest
1
archaic : sinewy, strong
2
a
: showing or expressive of calm courage : bold
b
: marked by effrontery or presumption : brash
3
nervily adverb
nerviness noun

Examples of nervy in a Sentence

a nervy performance in the play-offs a nervy film director who's not afraid to take risks The passengers were restless and nervy after the long flight. Too much coffee makes me nervy.
Recent Examples on the Web Practically the entire premiere is a set piece powered by Temple’s nervy panic, pivoting from the school fight to a home invasion sequence to a gas station shootout over nearly an hour. Alison Herman, Variety, 21 Nov. 2023 Brill, so nervy and and raw as Astrov in Uncle Vanya this summer, is almost frayed to pieces as Reg, able to contort his body into postures that range from unsettling to pathetically funny. Vulture, 29 Oct. 2023 Laughlin — whose beverage of choice is milk — is nervy and idealistic. Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2023 But that movie, for all its missteps, looks increasingly like the noblest of failures, a genuinely nervy, conceptually ambitious folly from which the director has now retreated to this movie’s safer, smugger climes. Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2023 Gray, whose Claudia is nervy and explosive, is a perfect complement to Shamos’s seemingly unassuming, actually arrogant, reckless, cowardly, sensitive Paul. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2023 Uncertainty and disagreement about what is even being priced into those yields is hardly a good sign in a nervy market. WSJ, 19 Oct. 2023 By the time mainstream radio was catching up to the nervy new wave of bands like the Talking Heads, frontman Byrne was pushing the group to incorporate African polyrhythms into their palette — several years before other rockers followed suit. Joe Lynch, Billboard, 5 Oct. 2023 Noname spends the day smiling and chatting in the crowd and backstage, surrounded by friends and fans, emitting the nervy ebullience of a party host who hopes her attendees are happy. Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, Pitchfork, 18 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nervy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nervy was in 1598

Dictionary Entries Near nervy

Cite this Entry

“Nervy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nervy. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

nervy

adjective
nervier; nerviest
1
a
: showing calm courage : fearless
b
: rudely bold
a nervy salesperson
2
nerviness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on nervy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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