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
For Riverside residents living in the surrounding area, the incident is nerve-racking and a little too close to home.
—
Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 13 Jan. 2026
Meeting the rapper, 44, in person proved to be a nerve-racking experience.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
Caregiving like no other One reason that mental health caregivers particularly need support is that caring for someone with a serious mental illness can be nerve-racking, simply because of the nature of these disorders and diseases.
—Kat McGowan, NPR, 31 Dec. 2025
That was honestly the most nerve-racking thing.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 25 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nerve-racking
Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 13 Jan. 2026
Meeting the rapper, 44, in person proved to be a nerve-racking experience.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
Caregiving like no other One reason that mental health caregivers particularly need support is that caring for someone with a serious mental illness can be nerve-racking, simply because of the nature of these disorders and diseases.
—Kat McGowan, NPR, 31 Dec. 2025
That was honestly the most nerve-racking thing.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 25 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nerve-racking
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nerve-racking
Adjective
-
Until these vexing unknowns are figured out, AI for mental health will be in an uneasy position and subject to strident criticisms and concerns.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
Other Western media outlets, meanwhile, are growing more uneasy about what possible interviews with Lai could mean for their presence in China, The Associated Press reported.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
OpenAI had previously flagged her ChatGPT conversations as having a disturbing fascination with extreme violence, and suspended her account, but reportedly the company did not notify law enforcement.—
Anat Lior,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
-
In an hour-and-a-half interview with the New York Times Popcast that dropped on Thursday, Rodrigo staunchly defended the dress and called the criticism disturbing.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
The Spurs outlasted the reigning champions, Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103 in a tense deciding game.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
31 May 2026
-
Shouting matches between protesters The atmosphere on Saturday was tense but peaceful.—
Daniella Silva,
NBC news,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
Spinella shucks off sentimentality, always showing us Con’s offhand humor and sometimes nervous, defensive rambling.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
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Companies start to get nervous when the percentage of shareholders blessing their pay plans dips well below the average, which is slightly above 90%, said Elizabeth Bieber, partner at the law firm Freshfields who leads shareholder engagement.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
Unlike the coolly impassive Pop artists, the Who weren’t afraid to get personal, or to let their art echo the anxious, kinky, maladjusted yammering in their own heads.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
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In Rio, the runner was an anxious up-and-comer, the youngest American track-and-field Olympian since 1972.—
Katie Abel,
Footwear News,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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Once her own pregnancy began, stepping away from work initially felt unfamiliar and slightly unsettling.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
28 May 2026
-
On the opposite side, the Passion façade is stark, angular and unsettling by comparison, telling a very different part of the Christian story in a completely different visual language.—
David Nikel,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
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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Despite its unnerving intimacy, which suggests either erotic pursuit or familiar proximity, the diminutive print calls to mind the photos of Saul Leiter, a figure surprisingly unmentioned in Ghirri’s essays despite his frequent fond allusions to American street photography.—
James Quandt,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
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Kane Parsons' feature debut is an unnerving meditation on memory.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nerve-racking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nerve-racking. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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