as in anxiety
an uneasy state of mind usually over the possibility of an anticipated misfortune or trouble
your nervousness over your son's safety is only natural
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Recent Examples of nervousness
Besides taking care of the physical state of the soldiers, Munin learned to spot nervousness or agitation among soldiers and to treat them while in battle.
—
Mariia Yastreba, Miami Herald, 31 Mar. 2026
Their presence prompted nervousness among beachgoers and surfers sharing the water, but marveled researchers who were perplexed by the abnormally longer stay close to shore.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 27 Mar. 2026
There is a little bit of nervousness about what if the war continues for too long.
—Fatma Tanis, NPR, 20 Mar. 2026
There was plenty of nervousness surrounding Knight Nation over the past few weeks.
—Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2026
Ridley, meanwhile, had to deal with more than just nervousness before the game.
—Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
There's a nervousness underneath.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 13 Mar. 2026
There was no weird nervousness.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 27 Feb. 2026
Treasury yields often fall when nervousness is high and investors are moving into investments that are considered safer.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
Mariia Yastreba, Miami Herald, 31 Mar. 2026
Their presence prompted nervousness among beachgoers and surfers sharing the water, but marveled researchers who were perplexed by the abnormally longer stay close to shore.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 27 Mar. 2026
There is a little bit of nervousness about what if the war continues for too long.
—Fatma Tanis, NPR, 20 Mar. 2026
There was plenty of nervousness surrounding Knight Nation over the past few weeks.
—Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2026
Ridley, meanwhile, had to deal with more than just nervousness before the game.
—Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
There's a nervousness underneath.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 13 Mar. 2026
There was no weird nervousness.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 27 Feb. 2026
Treasury yields often fall when nervousness is high and investors are moving into investments that are considered safer.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nervousness
Noun
-
Amid record anxiety about the future of work—and growing warnings about the potential erosion of white-collar careers—one unlikely field may be getting the last laugh.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Drone use is heavily limited by battery anxiety, but without a battery the use cases really open up.—
Omar Kardoudi
April 05,
New Atlas,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Her work plainly belongs to this lineage of witchy writers, women whose deliciously corrupted scenes of home and hearth produce fear and wild laughter at once.—
Kristen Roupenian,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
This new strategy recognized that neighborhood fear is not just driven by crimes; it is also driven by neighborhood disorder.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
At a recent seven-hour legislative meeting, Nevadans complained to lawmakers about the noise data centers produce, and their worries about how the centers will affect water supply and energy bills.—
Jessica Hill,
Fortune,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Memories of the pandemic and worries about crime were still fresh, and the 120,000-square-foot building was vacant.—
Brian J. Rogal,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Even before the Iran war sent gas prices soaring, many Americans were still recovering from the pandemic-era inflation spike and continued to cite affordability as a major concern.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Another Antarctic species -- the Southern elephant seal -- is also now at risk of extinction due to bird flu, moving from least concern to vulnerable, according to researchers.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
That feeling can present in many ways — rumination, a knot in your throat or your chest, an unease in your stomach, the tensing of muscles.—
Goth Shakira
Contributing,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
John Maynard Keynes famously predicted in the 1930s that by 2030, a 15-hour work week would be possible—and then asked, with obvious unease, what people would do with all that free time.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nervousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nervousness. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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