variants
or nerve-wracking
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
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Recent Examples of nerve-racking
Serious belly laughs and nerve-racking moments arrive in equal measure; tonally, there’s nothing quite like it.
—
David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, Greengrass heaps calamity upon calamity, mounting the fire with nerve-racking expertise.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Robinson and Kanin actually have come up with an extremely quirky, often nerve-racking and occasionally gross depiction of 2025 as a time when clear communication is being replaced by misdirection, misinterpretation, AI customer service chats and a pervasive sense of loneliness.
—Julie Hinds, Freep.com, 10 Oct. 2025
The next few weeks will prove nerve-racking yet crucial.
—Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nerve-racking
David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, Greengrass heaps calamity upon calamity, mounting the fire with nerve-racking expertise.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Robinson and Kanin actually have come up with an extremely quirky, often nerve-racking and occasionally gross depiction of 2025 as a time when clear communication is being replaced by misdirection, misinterpretation, AI customer service chats and a pervasive sense of loneliness.
—Julie Hinds, Freep.com, 10 Oct. 2025
The next few weeks will prove nerve-racking yet crucial.
—Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nerve-racking
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nerve-racking
Adjective
-
Neighbors fear rising violence Residents said the shooting has left them uneasy.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 Jan. 2026
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But by evening, an uneasy calm had settled across the city.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Despite already having declared her candidacy, McKnight voiced disturbing and violent threats against Sheehy.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Nov. 2025
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This story contains a description of a shooting some readers may find disturbing.—
Omar Jimenez,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Yet the competitive reality hit hardest during a tense FIBA break.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Davis became the director of CPW in April 2023 and has overseen the state’s controversial and often-tense wolf reintroduction program.—
Elliott Wenzler,
Denver Post,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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From a portable power bank to keep your phone charged to noise-canceling headphones that will drown out stressful sounds, these travel accessories will help nervous fliers and frequent travelers alike have easier journeys.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Jan. 2026
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But now there's a new robo-tech in town, and my Roadie 3 is looking very nervous indeed.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The self-laceration is done on Damon Albarn Time, though, as Idles’ usual anxious guitar rave-ups are slowed and stripped here to a skipping, reggae-ish crawl, as synths squeak in the background and Albarn offers support via his forever-distant, disembodied backing vocals.—
Andrew Unterberger,
Billboard,
7 Nov. 2025
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Obviously, Meghan’s anxious about it.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Compared to the swooning Gothic romance of Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula, Kenneth Branagh’s Frankenstein is just too perverse — in an unsettling way.—
Katie Rife,
Vulture,
9 Nov. 2025
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At the same time, the detective assigned to the case begins to uncover secrets about Scout, along with an unsettling breakthrough in Georgia’s death.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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And yet behind the distressful scene, a young man continues to butcher an animal.—
Kaely Monahan,
The Arizona Republic,
27 Mar. 2024
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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
Adjective
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This kind of experience is empowering, but also unnerving.—
James Somers,
New Yorker,
6 Nov. 2025
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The other is from Viggo Mortensen, who arrives in time for the film’s final stretch to embody a truly unnerving Lucifer.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nerve-racking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nerve-racking. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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