NERVOUSLY Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

nervously

adverb

Definition of nervously

as in anxiously

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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 nervously At the same time, a smaller developing system was being watched nervously close to Hawaii. — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 23 Sep. 2026 This is not easy for Robin (Griffin), who, judging by his nervously twitching legs and tendency to info-dump on interlocutors, finds ordinary interactions very stressful. — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026 Alice hems and haws at what to wear to the party, while nervously wondering about reuniting with the Lady Greyhounds after Coach Lasso suspended her for an earlier outburst. — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026 The day after Kirk’s assassination, Twiggs told investigators, Robinson nervously paced their apartment and expressed regret. — Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026 The bull riders—including the current champion, 20-year-old John Crimber—stand with their cowboy hat over their heart, boots shuffling nervously in the dirt. — Christine Lennon, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2026 On a humid June morning, two turtle hatchlings flail nervously inside a red cooler faded from Watamu’s sweltering sun. — Sophie Neiman, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Aug. 2026 Rebecca stood up nervously, her eyes taking him in with diagnostic intensity. — Emma Cline, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2026 Some of the men in the room could be seen glancing nervously at their dates. — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nervously

Adverb

What exactly are you supposed to do for those full seven days before a trip besides anxiously waiting to check into your flight?

— Julia Morlino, Travel + Leisure, 11 Sep. 2026
Nelza Moktan anxiously sought information about her missing cousin, who also worked as a driver in Rasuwa.

— Victoria Milko, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of anxiously

Adverb

Tristan, in the middle of putting down new wood shavings, looked at me shyly through the dust clouds.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
At one moment, the young prince glances down with his doe eyes before looking shyly off to the side at his mom and breaking out into a giggle.

— Christina Perrier, InStyle, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of shyly

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“Nervously.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nervously. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of nervously

adverb

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