variants
or nerve-wracking
as in nervous
marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings
the nerve-racking wait to learn the identities of the passengers who were killed in the plane crash
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of nerve-racking
Fridays have become some of the most nerve-racking times for mass firings of civil servants since President Donald Trump took office on January 20 and established DOGE.
—
Nathan Layne, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025
Even when he’s engulfed by neo-Nazi demonstrations, Talwar wants nothing more than to belong — a nerve-racking ethical tug-of-war that introduces a sense of danger.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 24 Feb. 2025
Multiple new blazes have erupted in Southern California The Hughes, Sepulveda and Laguna fires are the latest blazes in a nerve-racking week as Southern California heads into a fourth consecutive day of red flag fire weather warnings.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2025
Getting used to the bare-bones shoot took time, but the nerve-racking encounters started on day one.
—Alamin Yohannes, EW.com, 15 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nerve-racking
Nathan Layne, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025
Even when he’s engulfed by neo-Nazi demonstrations, Talwar wants nothing more than to belong — a nerve-racking ethical tug-of-war that introduces a sense of danger.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 24 Feb. 2025
Multiple new blazes have erupted in Southern California The Hughes, Sepulveda and Laguna fires are the latest blazes in a nerve-racking week as Southern California heads into a fourth consecutive day of red flag fire weather warnings.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2025
Getting used to the bare-bones shoot took time, but the nerve-racking encounters started on day one.
—Alamin Yohannes, EW.com, 15 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nerve-racking
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nerve-racking
Adjective
-
The video highlighted how visibly nervous Jessie was while using jokes to get through the show.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
6 June 2025
-
There’s nothing to be nervous about going into a spray tan.—
Catharine Malzahn,
Glamour,
5 June 2025
Adjective
-
But recently, her videos detailing her tense, hours-long encounter with Customs at MIA went viral.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2025
-
The lunch came at a tense time for the family as Patterson's relationship with her estranged husband had been deteriorating.—
Chloe Mayer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 June 2025
Adjective
-
On Tires, Gerben plays Will, the anxious and unqualified son of the auto-repair chain's owner.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
5 June 2025
-
As a result, children can become frustrated and anxious when trying to learn math.—
Jennifer Pierce,
USA Today,
3 June 2025
Adjective
-
In the wake of multiple plane crashes, and amid erratic federal policies and denials and detentions at border crossings, summer travel in the U.S. is in an uneasy state.—
Kevinisha Walker,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2025
-
To the south, there’s the United Arab Emirates, where again, there has been an uneasy relationship at times.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
The withdrawn teen obsessively draws dark spiders in class and shows a disturbing fixation on news reports of school shootings.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
6 June 2025
-
His disturbing legacy drew the attention of filmmaker and former HBO executive Kary Antholis, who had followed the case for decades.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
4 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nerve-racking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nerve-racking. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share