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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nervous
Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2025
If Booker is availabe in the teens, the Texans could get nervous that the Dolphins or Seahawks will select him.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
At the same time, sellers might get nervous if deal activity slows down.
—James Nelson, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
At times brutal and always volatile, the album functions as a sort of electro-shock therapy applied from the shoulders down, layering hard beats, ambient whorls, and nervous acid ticks to trigger a state of full-body rapture.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nervous
Adjective
Listen to this article 2 min Breece Hall got New York Jets fans pretty nervous with just one emoji.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2025
If Booker is availabe in the teens, the Texans could get nervous that the Dolphins or Seahawks will select him.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
At the same time, sellers might get nervous if deal activity slows down.
—James Nelson, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
At times brutal and always volatile, the album functions as a sort of electro-shock therapy applied from the shoulders down, layering hard beats, ambient whorls, and nervous acid ticks to trigger a state of full-body rapture.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nervous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nervous
Adjective
-
My client is worried about losing benefits, which is not a reason to worry.—
Diane Omdahl,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
-
Investors had also been worried about the fallout from sweeping U.S. tariffs that are prompting businesses to rein in spending.—
Deborah Sophia and Aditya Soni,
USA Today,
1 May 2025
Adjective
-
Consumer sentiment and expectations Americans are feeling uneasy about the economy, and that is showing up in the data.—
Russ Wiles,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
-
Still, Ruark is increasingly uneasy about the future.—
Catherine Baab,
Quartz,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Its participants are easily excitable and just as effortlessly aggrieved, their collective nervous system tied somewhat intrinsically to social media notifications.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
17 Apr. 2025
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And if Django’s Billy Crash tapped into Goggins’s ability to thrive with brutal spite, Mannix plays more to Goggins’s excitable energy and capacity for being clever (even when his character seems to be anything but).—
Daniel Dockery,
Vulture,
6 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Sewing anxiety and confusion are usually first steps from Trump ahead of negotiation.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
5 May 2025
-
Annoying airport delays, congested highways and spiraling vacation costs can result in stress and anxiety.—
Roger Sands,
Forbes.com,
4 May 2025
Adjective
-
Another reason people put off going to bed is to avoid feeling anxious or restless, said James Rowley, MD, a sleep medicine expert at Rush University Medical Center and spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.—
Maggie O'Neill,
Verywell Health,
30 Apr. 2025
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Professionally, Xavier is anxious about future tax exposure from his deferred compensation.—
Brian Lasher,
Forbes.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
In a tense Monday-night matchup in San Francisco, the Golden State Warriors held off the Houston Rockets 109-106 to take a 3-1 lead in their Western Conference first-round series.—
Anthony Slater,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
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At one point, he's shown punching a wooden door, and his relationship with girlfriend Dawn Staples, played by Emily Blunt, seems tense.—
Lauren Huff,
EW.com,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Harassment, fear alter campus life As prestigious universities like Harvard became a focal point of outside scrutiny last year, external harassment had devastating effects on students, the report says.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2025
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Many in the scientific community have begun to talk about how to move forward, but fears remain that the Trump administration will proceed with its own report, assigning authors that represent alternative viewpoints on climate change.—
Tracy J. Wholf,
CBS News,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Gannon informed Nolen that Johnson was a little upset with falling into the second round.—
Doug Haller,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2025
-
In medical settings, it's used to treat poisoning, overdoses, high cholesterol, hangovers, and upset stomach.—
Ashley Wong,
Health,
26 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nervous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nervous. Accessed 10 May. 2025.
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