nervous

adjective

ˈnər-vəs How to pronounce nervous (audio)
Definition of nervousnext
1
as in worried
feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty he was nervous about how he would do at the varsity basketball tryouts

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in uneasy
marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings a nervous silence filled the room as the teacher handed out the graded exams

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in excitable
easily excited by nature a nervous sort of person, she's completely thrown by anything unexpected

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective nervous contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of nervous are energetic, lusty, strenuous, and vigorous. While all these words mean "having or showing great vitality and force," nervous suggests especially the forcibleness and sustained effectiveness resulting from mental vigor.

full of nervous energy

When is energetic a more appropriate choice than nervous?

Although the words energetic and nervous have much in common, energetic suggests a capacity for intense activity.

an energetic campaigner

When might lusty be a better fit than nervous?

While in some cases nearly identical to nervous, lusty implies exuberant energy and capacity for enjoyment.

a lusty appetite for life

When is it sensible to use strenuous instead of nervous?

While the synonyms strenuous and nervous are close in meaning, strenuous suggests a preference for coping with the arduous or the challenging.

the strenuous life on an oil rig

When can vigorous be used instead of nervous?

The meanings of vigorous and nervous largely overlap; however, vigorous further implies showing no signs of depletion or diminishing of freshness or robustness.

as vigorous as a youth half his age

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 nervous In her third ensemble of the night, when accepting the best pop artist award, Grande was visibly nervous about taking the best pop artist trophy. —Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025 There’s also a lovely waiting room exchange with a nervous older cancer patient (screen veteran Aurore Clément), full of fears and reassurances. —David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025 Ken Griffin, like many others, is nervous about the precedent this sets. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025 Not enough to make the Charlotte Hornets rookie overly nervous, though. —Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 6 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for nervous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nervous
  1. worried
  2. uneasy
  3. excitable
  4. anxious
  5. tense
  6. upset
  7. disturbing
  8. apprehensive
Adjective
  • People should be joyful, not worried.
    — Evan Webeck, Mercury News, 7 Sep. 2025
  • He’s not focused on the economy, which most Americans are worried about.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2025
Definition of worried
Adjective
  • Handing spending power to a piece of software makes people uneasy.
    — Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • An uneasy calm, after two nights of chaos that saw tens of thousands of people pour out into the streets to vent their fury, setting fire to parliament and the Supreme Court – key symbols of state – and clashing with the government forces sent to keep them under control.
    — Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Definition of uneasy
Adjective
  • Neurons and glial cells are like dance partners in the brain, coordinating moves that shape how signals flow and how excitable neurons become.
    — Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Tony has fully bought into the dream, and Skarsgård plays him with excitable, boyish humor, almost as if the whole thing were a game.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2025
Definition of excitable
Adjective
  • Maddie is talented, warm, funny and kind but also anxious, plagued with low self-esteem cultivated by a traumatic childhood.
    — Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
  • The other may be unsure, though not opposed, but anxious about leaving family and community.
    — Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Definition of anxious
Adjective
  • The exchange grew more tense when Brzezinski raised concerns about ICE vehicles parked outside a Spanish-language Mass in Boston, saying such actions spread fear in immigrant communities.
    — Heather Hunter, The Washington Examiner, 9 Sep. 2025
  • The arrests also raised alarm in Seoul, further complicating tense US-South Korea relations over investments agreed to in their trade deal, the Financial Times reported.
    — Ben Smith, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Definition of tense
Adjective
  • Danni-Elle Townsend, who’s made a solid impression in PPA internationals this year, was upset in the first round by 43-yr old qualifier and eventual Bronze medalist from Japan Rika Fujiwara, a former WTA tennis pro who toured for more than 20 years before retiring from Tennis in 2020.
    — Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Mourners, many of whom were visibly upset and wearing Walmart uniforms, placed electric candles at the memorial.
    — Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 10 Sep. 2025
Definition of upset
Adjective
  • That's depicted in a disturbing, if somewhat inscrutable, scene.
    — Esther Zuckerman, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Possibly, something disturbing will occur because someone has decided to make emotional demands on you.
    — Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 6 Sep. 2025
Definition of disturbing
Adjective
  • In the episode for which Howard is nominated, Matt is apprehensive to give feedback to the director that a scene from his new movie needs to be cut.
    — Carson Blackwelder, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Auggie appeared apprehensive at first and didn't quite know what to do with the bed.
    — Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
Definition of apprehensive

Phrases Containing nervous

Browse Nearby Words

nervosity
nervous
nervous breakdown
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Cite this Entry

“Nervous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nervous. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.

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