1
as in unstrung
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2
as in powerless
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in discouraged
to lessen the courage or confidence of
a figure skater can't afford to be unnerved by an occasional slipup
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Recent Examples of unnerved
Literary Hub, 5 Jan. 2026
Between the first incident involving Itsaragrisil until — and after — Bosch's crowning, Sapini told PEOPLE that she was consistently unnerved by the conditions of the competition.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 3 Dec. 2025
In the short clip, Bonnie (who first became the owner of the toy crew in Toy Story 3 when Andy went to college) gets a package, and all of the toys are unnerved by its contents.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Nov. 2025
So unnerved that — after pouring his heart out to the young writer — Allman demanded to see his ID card.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Nov. 2025
Investors appeared unnerved by big increases in spending that Meta Platforms and Microsoft are planning as the investment spree related to artificial-intelligence technology keeps gushing.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2025
But over the past year, YouTube’s domination of The Gauge has unnerved executives at some competitors.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025
Opposition Peronists hope to build on their unexpectedly wide victory in Buenos Aires provincial elections last month, which unnerved markets.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025
The moves between the world’s two largest economies have rattled markets, unnerved global industries of production shocks, and rekindled fears of a repeat of the tit-for-tat tariff offense in spring, when levies on Chinese and American imports reached levels tantamount to trade embargoes.
—John Liu, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Yun Li, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2025
At the same time, the state assemblyman’s calls to raise taxes on wealthy people and intense criticisms of the Israel’s military actions in Gaza have unnerved some centrists and conservatives, as well as many Jewish New Yorkers.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025
At the same time, the state assemblyman's calls to raise taxes on the wealthy and intense criticisms of the Israeli government's military actions in Gaza have unnerved some centrists and conservatives.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
The new administration’s unorthodox business policies — plus questions about the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate thinking — have unnerved many business owners and corporate executives.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
In addition, the creation of the fetishes, with their bits of bone, dirt, plants, and other objects, also unnerved enslavers and colonists.
—Literary Hub, 5 Jan. 2026
Between the first incident involving Itsaragrisil until — and after — Bosch's crowning, Sapini told PEOPLE that she was consistently unnerved by the conditions of the competition.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 3 Dec. 2025
In the short clip, Bonnie (who first became the owner of the toy crew in Toy Story 3 when Andy went to college) gets a package, and all of the toys are unnerved by its contents.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Nov. 2025
So unnerved that — after pouring his heart out to the young writer — Allman demanded to see his ID card.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Nov. 2025
Investors appeared unnerved by big increases in spending that Meta Platforms and Microsoft are planning as the investment spree related to artificial-intelligence technology keeps gushing.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2025
But over the past year, YouTube’s domination of The Gauge has unnerved executives at some competitors.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025
Opposition Peronists hope to build on their unexpectedly wide victory in Buenos Aires provincial elections last month, which unnerved markets.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025
The moves between the world’s two largest economies have rattled markets, unnerved global industries of production shocks, and rekindled fears of a repeat of the tit-for-tat tariff offense in spring, when levies on Chinese and American imports reached levels tantamount to trade embargoes.
—John Liu, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
Michael Burry unnerved investors this week with seemingly fresh wagers against artificial intelligence favorites Nvidia and Palantir Technologies .
—Yun Li, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2025
At the same time, the state assemblyman’s calls to raise taxes on wealthy people and intense criticisms of the Israel’s military actions in Gaza have unnerved some centrists and conservatives, as well as many Jewish New Yorkers.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025
At the same time, the state assemblyman's calls to raise taxes on the wealthy and intense criticisms of the Israeli government's military actions in Gaza have unnerved some centrists and conservatives.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
The new administration’s unorthodox business policies — plus questions about the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate thinking — have unnerved many business owners and corporate executives.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unnerved
Adjective
-
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
-
Among the more moving cases that Blair describes are those of people who in life were vulnerable and powerless but in death were considered formidable threats.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
-
While the primary goal is empowering those with mobility impairments, the implications of a powerless eye-tracker are many.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Hawking’s work on the physics of black holes helped reshape the scientific understanding of the universe, even after being diagnosed with a motor neuron disease also known as ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, early in life that gradually paralyzed him.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Economists have attributed this to high uncertainty (in part due to massive shifts in trade and immigration policy) that has paralyzed much business investment.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The audit listed multiple examples where the district’s actions may have discouraged fair competition and may have violated state law.—
Scott Travis,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Jan. 2026
-
New York’s Democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo, issued early stay-at-home orders, imposed one of the first statewide mask mandates, and discouraged in-person church services.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Two shivering dogs now sat in her backseat, exhausted but safe.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Surely that has increasing resonance among the politically exhausted and spiritually disenchanted.—
Abby McCloskey,
Mercury News,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Frank feels emasculated by everyone and everything.—
Matt Zoller Seitz,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Noah is a debt-addled, nerdy middle-aged who feels totally emasculated by his inability to get a project off the ground.—
Sam Bodrojan,
IndieWire,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
And my father—lovable but imposing, a strapping six feet three inches tall with a thick, bristly mustache and a rumbling Sergeant Schultz accent that frightened my friends half to death—loved to tell stories.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Dec. 2025
-
Fortune had reported in its investigation that people within the agency were frightened of examining Boring Company after two staffers who worked on the case had been disciplined.—
Jessica Mathews,
Fortune,
20 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Beyond cost, wealthy investors are also frustrated with service.—
Robert Frank,
CNBC,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Brandes, frustrated by the lack of answers on testing in prisons, chimed in Thursday during a Florida Health Care Association conference call about the nursing home issue.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unnerved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unnerved. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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