unnerved 1 of 2

unnerved

2 of 2

verb

past tense of unnerve

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unnerved
Adjective
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 Vice Mayor Ben Sorensen, unnerved by talk of statewide property tax reform and a looming multiyear budget deficit, is now having second thoughts about committing all that money to a futuristic City Hall. Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 14 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unnerved
Adjective
  • Foster gives a taut performance despite the unstrung absurdities of the plot.
    Hilton Als, New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2026
  • When the Premier Lacrosse League’s Boston Cannons opened training camp back in May with unstrung lacrosse stick heads, players knew who to ask for an assist.
    Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Rocha has many friends in Washington, but his attempts to change González’s situation have left him feeling powerless.
    Jesús Rodríguez, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026
  • And given her lifelong love of the breed, Farlow can understand why the couple may have been powerless to resist.
    David Mack, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • She is paralyzed from the waist down after a suicide attempt following killing her children.
    Carmel Wroth, NPR, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Clancy, who was left paralyzed by a suicide attempt that followed the killings, was brought forward in her wheelchair to listen.
    Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The law has in some cases discouraged people, and especially women, from wanting to marry at a time when Japan’s birth rate has fallen to dangerously low levels.
    Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Idea futures would undermine the institutional clout of skeptical old physicists with tenure—monetizing, promoting, and rewarding bold claims discouraged by mainstream consensus.
    Finn Brunton, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • His exhausted kin of Gainesville, having spent the morning very much alive and the enormity of a half-decade pummeled, agreed.
    Noah White, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Health workers at existing treatment centers are also exhausted, said Jeannot Krikeija, who works at an Ebola treatment center in Bunia, Ituri’s capital.
    ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • And that’s the main tension this season, as Beau is feeling emasculated by the dynamic.
    Marlow Stern, Variety, 30 July 2026
  • By contrast, Gercke’s emasculated George speaks in the monotonous style of a man worn down by life.
    Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Her mount, meanwhile, is frightened by lightning and runs off.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The rising cost of health care has frightened many people, including those with health insurance.
    Cara Kelly, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Theo Lindstein plays better than Fowler, but Montgomery plays Lindstein fewer than 20 games, leaving fans frustrated.
    Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Jones said she’s been frustrated with the progress of the police investigation and with a lack of communication from law enforcement.
    Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Unnerved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unnerved. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

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