Synonyms of unnerved

unnerved 1 of 2

adjective

1

as in unstrung

Related Words

• unstrung
• exhausted
• nervous
• unmanned
• undone
• stressed
• tired
• upset
• troubled
• uneasy
• angry
• knackered
• perturbed
• disturbed
• tense
• irritated
• exasperated
• annoyed
• agitated
• aggravated
• burned-out
• edgy
• shell-shocked
• worn-out
• stressed-out

Dissimilar Words

• rested
• relaxed
• unconcerned
• carefree
• lighthearted
• laid-back
• happy-go-lucky
• devil-may-care

2

as in powerless

Related Words

• powerless
• emasculated
• impotent
• meek
• submissive
• ineffective
• ineffectual
• lamblike
• unscrupulous
• flabby
• flaccid
• timid
• pliable
• unprincipled
• corrupt
• forceless
• weakened
• impuissant
• weak
• villainous
• dastardly
• wimpish
• nerveless
• pusillanimous
• wimpy
• craven
• weak-kneed
• irresolute
• cowardly
• spineless
• frail
• fainthearted
• effete
• characterless
• invertebrate
• wishy-washy
• wet
• milk-and-water
• weakling
• sissy
• infirm
• nebbishy
• limp-wristed
• lily-livered
• namby-pamby
• soft
• vacillating
• poltroon

Dissimilar Words

• strong
• tough
• hard
• firm
• good
• right
• moral
• virtuous
• righteous
• ethical
• determined
• upright
• principled
• resolute
• unrelenting
• backboned
• courageous
• stalwart
• mettlesome
• stouthearted

unnerved

2 of 2

verb

past tense of unnerve

1

as in paralyzed

to deprive of courage or confidence

the riding accident so unnerved me that for a while I was afraid to get back on a horse

Synonyms & Similar Words

• paralyzed
• frightened
• terrified
• scared
• intimidated
• unsettled
• emasculated
• demoralized
• disturbed
• weakened
• undid
• wasted
• unmanned
• debilitated
• enfeebled
• discouraged
• upset
• terrorized
• enervated
• unstrung
• daunted
• dismayed
• softened
• tired
• sapped
• disheartened
• dispirited
• perturbed
• disquieted
• neutered
• crazed
• fazed
• maddened
• unhinged
• deranged
• unbalanced
• prostrated
• discomposed
• psyched (out)
• weirded out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• strengthened
• encouraged
• fortified
• nerved
• emboldened
• heartened

2

as in discouraged

to lessen the courage or confidence of

a figure skater can't afford to be unnerved by an occasional slipup

Synonyms & Similar Words

• discouraged
• frustrated
• daunted
• frightened
• dismayed
• disheartened
• intimidated
• scared
• horrified
• dispirited
• worried
• troubled
• demoralized
• bothered
• afflicted
• cowed
• chilled
• saddened
• threw cold water on
• distressed
• bullied
• irked
• unmanned
• weighed
• tried
• depressed
• weakened
• vexed
• undermined
• browbeat
• debilitated
• deadened
• enfeebled
• dampened
• damped

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• encouraged
• cheered
• emboldened
• heartened
• reinforced
• assured
• enforced
• animated
• nerved
• reassured
• strengthened
• steeled
• excited
• gladdened
• inspired
• stimulated
• fortified
• enlivened
• provoked
• invigorated
• lifted
• stirred
• buoyed (up)
• energized
• quickened
• galvanized
• rallied
• boosted

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of unnerved

Adjective

Regardless of their opinion about Denmark, Greenlanders are becoming aware of, and are unnerved by, this semi-covert, sometimes glaringly obvious American pressure. — Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026

The high number of departures unnerved portions of the fanbase, but the staff had a plan that resulted in an incoming group of transfers that can make an immediate impact this season. — Cameron Teague Robinson, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Have these tumultuous real-world consequences unnerved Roberts? — Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026

The resultant sonic boom shock waves frequently shattered windows, cracked building walls, and unnerved citizens within earshot. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 1 July 2026

The China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station, the Navy’s largest base for developing and testing weapons of warfare, suffered billions of dollars in damage, and the fact that the second quake was scarier than the first unnerved many Californians. — Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026

David Rubenstein, the son of a Baltimore postal worker, was frustrated in a Washington law firm when he was both inspired by a wildly successful leveraged buyout and unnerved by a book that claimed the odds of successfully starting a company plummets after 37. — Diane Brady, Fortune, 24 June 2026

At England’s training on Sunday, British reporters admitted to being unnerved. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 15 June 2026

But civil libertarians are unnerved about casting such a wide dragnet that captures highly personal information from hundreds or perhaps thousands of people who aren’t criminals. — Bart Jansen, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2026

Verb

The earthquakes left many in the Andean nation unnerved after two back-to-back quakes devastated neighboring Venezuela in late June, destroying hundreds of buildings and killing more than 6,300 people. — ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026

Trump’s recent clashes with Pope Leo XIV over the Iran war have also unnerved some young conservatives. — Charlie Sabgir, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026

Perhaps coincidentally, OpenAI is considering delaying its IPO, The New York Times reported, with executives unnerved by SpaceX’s volatile debut and stock-market choppiness. — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 26 June 2026

The baby boomer bank leader took to LinkedIn to admit that his words had unnerved some of his coworkers. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 26 May 2026

Even counting flaws that come with the system and his decisions that have unnerved some China watchers, however, time is on Xi’s side. — Steven Jiang, CNN Money, 13 May 2026

Larsen and other entrepreneurs, unnerved by the election of democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani in New York and increasing calls across the US for taxes on wealth, fear that the measure could undo efforts to make San Francisco more business-friendly. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2026

The Fed targets a 2% inflation rate, and officials will likely be unnerved by a steady increase. — Christopher Rugaber, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026

But their existence is an open secret, and the Iranian missile’s coming so close to the facility will have unnerved some. — Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 23 Mar. 2026