1
as in worried
feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty
he was nervous about how he would do at the varsity basketball tryouts
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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
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nervous
Poots’ Thea is still nervous, but now much sharper and more suspicious.
—
Rory Doherty, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
Most high hits are the result of nervous, string-jumping whitetails and steep shot angles taken from a high treestand.
—Will Brantley, Outdoor Life, 29 Oct. 2025
Tied to a nearby tree was a cute but nervous-looking lamb.
—NPR, 29 Oct. 2025
His journey from nervous child with an abusive father to an outstanding professional baseball player who was the MVP in 1971, and as a manager who was fired three times before taking the helm as the Yankees manager.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nervous
Rory Doherty, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
Most high hits are the result of nervous, string-jumping whitetails and steep shot angles taken from a high treestand.
—Will Brantley, Outdoor Life, 29 Oct. 2025
Tied to a nearby tree was a cute but nervous-looking lamb.
—NPR, 29 Oct. 2025
His journey from nervous child with an abusive father to an outstanding professional baseball player who was the MVP in 1971, and as a manager who was fired three times before taking the helm as the Yankees manager.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nervous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nervous
Adjective
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Residents of Cranbourne Hall Residential Park, the nearest neighborhood, are worried that the new home will be less private than the four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
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Haseebullah also is worried about the Cybertrucks’ surveillance abilities that the public may not be unaware of, and that the fleet might give Tesla access to police data.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Across its run, The Witcher has traced the uneasy bond between Geralt of Rivia (Liam Hemsworth), the monster hunter bound by destiny; Ciri (Freya Allan), the princess whose power could save or destroy worlds; and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra), the sorceress torn between ambition and love.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
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In the Odyssey, Homer depicts Helen and Menelaus’s reunion as uneasy and sometimes tearful, after years of estrangement.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Don Phillips, the casting director, was an excitable character who put his whole heart into finding new faces.—
Cameron Crowe,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Oct. 2025
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The text is excitable and wayward, while many of the photographs are dramatically dull.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Redirect their attention If your dog is anxious and barking in a panic, your first step is to remove them from the trigger.—
Madeline Gunderson,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
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Late nights and anxious supplications.—
Steve Rushin,
The Atlantic,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The seven states dependent on the river’s dwindling flows have been locked in tense negotiations over this for years.—
Shaun McKinnon,
AZCentral.com,
4 Nov. 2025
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The incident came after a tense year for Harvard students, teachers and staff who were thrust into the national spotlight amid the White House’s push to reshape higher education.—
Michelle Watson,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Mamdani's win was seen as an upset to the establishment, since the 67-year-old Cuomo is the son of a three-time New York governor and held the position himself for a decade beginning in 2011.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
5 Nov. 2025
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Boise State fans could have been upset when they were upset at home by Fresno State as their season continued to slide away from them.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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With 31 percent of adults and 80 percent of adolescents not meeting recommended levels of physical activity, researchers have unveiled a disturbing glimpse of what the long-term impacts on our health and appearance could look like.—
Hannah Millington,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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The film follows his lead, constructing a near-relentless study of misery that culminates in a disturbing finale.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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With mass layoffs, many employees are apprehensive about being replaced.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
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The two have been apprehensive advocates for each other over the past two seasons, and this season Stella vowed to go to bat for Mia’s bid for news director.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nervous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nervous. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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