Synonyms of nervous

nervous

adjective

ˈnər-vəs 

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

• worried
• anxious
• upset
• uneasy
• apprehensive
• troubled
• hesitant
• concerned
• uptight
• tense
• perturbed
• jittery
• jumpy
• flustered
• disturbed
• bothered
• queasy
• insecure
• ill at ease
• antsy
• freaked
• goosey
• nervy
• on tenterhooks
• distraught
• unquiet
• on pins and needles
• on edge
• obsessed
• preoccupied
• edgy
• dithery
• restless
• het up
• hinky
• distressed
• aflutter
• aggrieved
• disquieted
• fretful
• atwitter
• vexed
• hung up
• keyed up
• freaked-out
• foreboding
• shook-up
• unnerved
• fretting
• fidgety
• misgiving
• unstrung
• high-strung
• fluttery
• qualmish
• spooky
• skittish
• undone
• qualmy
• stewing
• flighty
• twittered
• hypertense

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• easy
• calm
• relaxed
• collected
• cool
• confident
• sure
• nerveless
• happy-go-lucky
• controlled
• self-assured
• self-confident
• self-controlled

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

• uneasy
• anxious
• tense
• disturbing
• restless
• unsettling
• creepy
• unnerving
• distressful
• worrisome
• distressing
• fraught
• agitating
• disquieting
• embarrassing
• hairy
• nerve-racking
• troublesome
• nail-biting
• strained
• awkward
• discouraging
• bothersome
• foreboding
• disheartening
• misgiving
• restive
• unrestful

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• easy
• comfortable
• quiet
• peaceful
• tranquil
• calming
• restful
• quieting
• pacific

3

as in excitable

easily excited by nature

a nervous sort of person, she's completely thrown by anything unexpected

Synonyms & Similar Words

• excitable
• anxious
• unstable
• volatile
• jittery
• hyper
• emotional
• jumpy
• high-strung
• hyperexcitable
• irritable
• hyperkinetic
• fluttery
• hyperactive
• spasmodic
• intense
• skittish
• spooky
• skittery
• sensitive
• flighty
• uptight
• fiddle-footed
• tense
• volcanic
• soulful
• temperamental
• hypersensitive
• mercurial
• hot-blooded
• nervy
• dramatic
• edgy
• melodramatic
• testy
• irascible
• emotionalistic
• histrionic
• flibbertigibbety
• touchy
• perturbable
• prickly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unflappable
• imperturbable
• unshakable
• nerveless
• calm
• collected
• unexcitable
• cool
• serene
• tranquil
• easy
• relaxed
• easygoing
• laid-back

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

Recent Examples of nervous

On one, Basquiat made the figure menacing, with glowing red eyes, while another iteration appears almost nervous. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Everyone was in a good mood, if a little nervous about what was going to be discussed. — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026

Alberto Hernandez Castillo, a Cuban national with lawful permanent residence in the United States, was also acting nervous, the agent said. — David Goodhue october 6, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026

And in a region already suffering from aid shortages, and anticipating even greater food insecurity from this year’s El Nino, humanitarians are rightly nervous about a potential catastrophic fallout. — Cameron Hudson, semafor.com, 5 Oct. 2026

Phrases Containing nervous

• nervous Nellie
• nervous Nelly
• nervous breakdown
• nervous wreck