nerve-racking

adjective

ˈnərv-ˌra-kiŋ How to pronounce nerve-racking (audio)
variants or nerve-wracking
Definition of nerve-rackingnext
as in uneasy
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

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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 Making your Major League debut is nerve-racking enough, but doing so while trying to preserve a no-hitter is a different kind of pressure. — Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026 Feeling the weight of an entire country seems like a nerve-racking prospect, but the women of BINI take it in stride. — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 17 Apr. 2026 One of the most dangerous and nerve-racking parts of the Artemis II mission is still ahead. — Tom Costello, NBC news, 10 Apr. 2026 Whitaker is just starting his first year, but is that nerve-racking to know as an actor? — Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 10 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for nerve-racking
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nerve-racking
  1. uneasy
  2. disturbing
  3. tense
  4. nervous
  5. anxious
  6. unsettling
  7. distressful
  8. unnerving
Adjective
  • Security will remain in place at the schools, officials said, and counselors will be available for students who feel uneasy about attending classes.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 20 Aug. 2026
  • But that blend of raucous laughs (OK, well, some raucous laughs, some mere attempts at them) and real world concerns makes for an uneasy watch, ping-ponging between moods and tones in unpredictable ways.
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of uneasy
Adjective
  • The disturbing incident comes amidst a sharp increase in both felony and misdemeanor assaults in the subway system.
    — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The story follows a husband and wife who buy their dream ranch only to discover the land is alive with ancient spirits, and survival means submitting to increasingly disturbing rituals with each turn of the season.
    — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of disturbing
Adjective
  • One day, Abdeen remembered, there was a tense discussion in the house.
    — Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026
  • In the footage, Teng and Perlmutter get into a tense debate about the ethics.
    — Matt Minton, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of tense
Adjective
  • Until Bezos, or any of his new partners, speak publicly, the conversation about what comes next will be nervous.
    — Simon Hughes, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • In a nervous market full of geopolitical tension, IPOs have attracted a lot of investor attention, with AI darlings Anthropic and OpenAI preparing for their own debuts.
    — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of nervous
Adjective
  • Fortunately for the anxious among us, and less fortunately for those still loyal to the dying rituals of interpersonal correspondence, Cynthia has recently moved to online reservations.
    — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Yet even the president’s die-hard supporters are becoming more anxious about the costs associated with the war.
    — Zac Anderson, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of anxious
Adjective
  • The script is generally funny and romantic but can also get unsettling.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Set against the remote, insular world of its titular island, production designer Steve Arnold and set decorator Jennifer Engel created a lived-in, slightly stuck in time and, when necessary, deeply unsettling environment.
    — Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of unsettling
Adjective
  • And yet behind the distressful scene, a young man continues to butcher an animal.
    — Kaely Monahan, The Arizona Republic, 27 Mar. 2024
  • Despite the distressful news of Houston’s death that day, the event went forward to create a space for guests to mourn.
    — Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN, 2 Feb. 2024
Definition of distressful
Adjective
  • But the nightmarish realms of the Further retain their unnerving power, and some of the old-school ghost movie thrills are well done.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Matthew Robert Cooper’s unnerving ambient score bleeds into the relentless dink-dink-dink of the Jeep’s strobing hazard lights.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of unnerving

Browse Nearby Words

nervelessly
nerve-racking
nerves
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Cite this Entry

“Nerve-racking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nerve-racking. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on nerve-racking

Nglish: Translation of nerve-racking for Spanish Speakers

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