Synonyms of on tenterhooks

on tenterhooks

phrase

as in nervous

feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty

He's been on tenterhooks in anticipation of his acceptance letter.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of on tenterhooks

In practice, however, most inmates are left on tenterhooks in solitary confinement for years — and sometimes decades — with sometimes severe consequences for their mental health. — CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026

Readers, like the sentence and the plot, are on tenterhooks about what comes next. — Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2026