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

Realizing that Villegas wasn’t going to join the plan, Lopez and others in the anti-Maduro movement decided to try to unnerve the Venezuelan leader, according to three of the people familiar with the operation. —Joshua Goodman, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2025

Israeli forces struck Iran’s nuclear facilities in June, unnerving a White House that feared the bombing campaign would derail its efforts at diplomacy. —Eric Cortellessa, Time, 23 Oct. 2025

At the same time, the state assemblyman's calls to raise taxes on the wealthy and intense criticisms of the Israeli government's military actions in Gaza have unnerved some centrists and conservatives. —Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025

Not all horror stories rely on jump scares and violent spectacle; some unearth their horrors from unnerving philosophical considerations. —Big Think, 14 Oct. 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