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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unnerve
Still, Hollywood, and its significance to moviemaking, has a singular, unnerving allure on her.
—
Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 6 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 most recent of these was just two years ago, when eastern and central swathes of the United States experienced the path of totality, the phenomenon that casts daytime into eerie midnight blackness for unnerving lengths of time.
—Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 14 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
See All Example Sentences for unnerve
Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 6 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 most recent of these was just two years ago, when eastern and central swathes of the United States experienced the path of totality, the phenomenon that casts daytime into eerie midnight blackness for unnerving lengths of time.
—Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 14 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
See All Example Sentences for unnerve
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unnerve
Verb
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But Leo isn’t the only VIP who'll be paralyzing much of Madrid this weekend.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 June 2026
-
Hello Robot has worked with Henry Evans, who is paralyzed and cannot speak.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2026
Verb
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The company’s claim is that MST modifies the mechanical stress state of the silicon surface in a way that discourages dislocation nucleation and propagation during the subsequent GaN growth steps.—
Aditya Jadhav,
Interesting Engineering,
8 June 2026
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For most of the post-civil-rights era, a tacit consensus discouraged white Americans from thinking of themselves as avatars of a racial demographic.—
Thomas Chatterton Williams,
The Atlantic,
8 June 2026
Verb
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But the future Hall of Famer is coming off ACL surgery, might lack mobility, and has a receiving corps that frightens nobody.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
15 May 2026
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This war has been a disaster for them, frightening away foreign investors, tourists and talent and burdening them with a future of huge new defense bills to deter Iran after the United States is gone.—
Thomas L. Friedman,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Part of what fascinates and frustrates as regards Ginsberg is that for all of those thick anthologies, propriety forces me to concede that many of the poems simply aren’t that good.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
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Some voters frustrated by gubernatorial race Tuesday was shaping up to be a busy day at the polls inside the brown brick Coloma Community Center.—
Camryn Dadey,
Sacbee.com,
3 June 2026
Verb
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It was made that much worse when several cast members laughed at her insincerity and Maddi Reese interrupted it several times because there was a stray cat nearby that terrified her.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
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Because quarterbacks were terrified to throw anywhere near him.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Verb
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While recognizing peaceful protest as a constitutional right, the judges said actions that disrupt public life, block roads, intimidate others or interfere with constitutional processes do not enjoy legal protection.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 June 2026
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As of June 6, Platner stands accused of laying hands on one named woman, and of intimidating behavior against two other women who thus far have not been named.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2026
Verb
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Stop using implausible scenarios to scare young people and the gullible with claims about global catastrophe due to future global temperature increases.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
29 May 2026
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Sizable jury verdicts scare entities into expensive settlements, which raises the risk pool’s reinsurance costs and trickles down to members.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unnerve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unnerve. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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