1
as in to paralyze
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to discourage
to lessen the courage or confidence of
a figure skater can't afford to be unnerved by an occasional slipup
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unnerve
That’s why Meta’s big investment in Scale seems to have unnerved all the frontier AI companies.
—
Billy Perrigo, Time, 16 June 2025
The girl was later found safe and unharmed 80 minutes later, but the experience continues to unnerve her mother.
—David Chiu, People.com, 21 May 2025
While the impact of a costlier iPhone likely wouldn't mean much from a larger economic perspective, the saber-rattling underscores the volatility of trade policy and provides another flash point for a market already unnerved by worries about fiscal policy that have sent bond yields sharply higher.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 23 May 2025
But the fixation on health has unnerved some medical experts, nutritionists and educators, who have noticed concerning degrees of health anxiety among some teenagers.
—Natalie Proulx, New York Times, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for unnerve
Billy Perrigo, Time, 16 June 2025
The girl was later found safe and unharmed 80 minutes later, but the experience continues to unnerve her mother.
—David Chiu, People.com, 21 May 2025
While the impact of a costlier iPhone likely wouldn't mean much from a larger economic perspective, the saber-rattling underscores the volatility of trade policy and provides another flash point for a market already unnerved by worries about fiscal policy that have sent bond yields sharply higher.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 23 May 2025
But the fixation on health has unnerved some medical experts, nutritionists and educators, who have noticed concerning degrees of health anxiety among some teenagers.
—Natalie Proulx, New York Times, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for unnerve
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unnerve
Verb
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Trump deserves credit for ignoring the voices in Washington who counsel inaction out of an understandable but often paralyzing fear of unintended consequences.—
The Editors,
National Review,
24 June 2025
-
Airpower paralyzed Saddam Hussein’s regime and rendered his military ineffective.—
David A. Deptula,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
Verb
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Bailey made headlines leading up to the draft by reportedly discouraging Philadelphia from selecting him, and even attempted to do the same with Utah.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 July 2025
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President Snow, facing growing unrest across the nation as a result of the pair’s joint victory, demands that Katniss and Peeta pretend to be in love during their Victory Tour to discourage any rebellions.—
Kelly Martinez Published,
EW.com,
5 July 2025
Verb
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The woman inside banged pots and pans and screamed at the bear to try to frighten it away, officials said.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
25 June 2025
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Winston Churchill said the U-boat peril was the only thing that really frightened him during World War II.—
Carl Burdette,
Baltimore Sun,
22 June 2025
Verb
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Williams often got frustrated with him and told him to be quiet.—
Michael Cuglietta,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 July 2025
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Others are frustrated by the sheer volume of low-effort AI content flooding their feeds.—
Zach Vallese,
CNBC,
2 July 2025
Verb
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The loud noises terrify many dogs and cats into running away — which is easier with more doors opening during parties.—
Jen Reeder,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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The women on the ward were terrified by the sudden invasion of masked people.—
Zadie Smith,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
Verb
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Her longstanding reputation for being intimidating was thought to have inspired Miranda Priestly's character in The Devil Wears Prada, a book written by her former assistant Lauren Weisberger and later made into a movie starring Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep.—
Colleen Kratofil,
People.com,
26 June 2025
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How Unions are Stepping in to Fill Governance Gaps Unions have observed that many workers feel intimidated by the technical nature of AI and are uneasy when discussing their concerns with their employers.—
Oludolapo Makinde,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
Verb
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The chemistry is real, but Nic scares me for Olandria.—
Julia Moore,
People.com,
27 June 2025
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The camper attempted to scare off the bear by banging pots and pans and screaming at the bear.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unnerve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unnerve. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
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