1
as in paralyzes
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in discourages
to lessen the courage or confidence of
a figure skater can't afford to be unnerved by an occasional slipup
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unnerves
Verb
-
Monster blizzard paralyzes Northeast with extreme snow, soaring power outages.—
,
FOXNews.com,
23 Feb. 2026 -
For example, the curare plant poisons used by South and Central American hunters paralyzes the respiratory system.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The city discourages trespassing on private property.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The system discourages early adoption.—
William Warr,
Time,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The piercing sunlight frightens her.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Like the 1987 Kurt Vonnegut novel from which the restaurant took its name, Bluebeard encourages guests to drop their guard, surround themselves with other people and try something that frightens them a little.—
USA TODAY NETWORK,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Tennessee law, the judge explained, thus still frustrates a core goal of the CEA—uniform regulation of the derivatives market.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Attending the esports-style SCC in London, The Athletic saw exactly how Nakamura frustrates some chess fans but helps make new ones.—
Eduardo Tansley,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Aubry Bracco is the kind of player who terrifies a certain (male) demographic of Survivor alumni.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
25 Feb. 2026
-
What terrifies Iran’s theocrats the most, the fear that eclipses all their fears, is the ability of the people at large to clearly see the essential realities of the present regime.—
Azadeh Moaveni,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Geopolitical scares that faded and allowed oil prices to recede.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
3 Mar. 2026
-
He’s also been involved in multiple injury scares to star players in the last year.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Maybe her coolness intimidates them, or her green eyes.—
Rodrigo Hasbún,
Literary Hub,
24 Feb. 2026
-
If French wine intimidates you, this is the perfect place to get over that fear.—
Noel Burgess,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The film’s plot is thrust in motion when a series of perverse scam calls unsettles an idyllic retirement community, watching as a starry-eyed nurse (Cemre Paksoy) becomes entangled with her mysterious patient (Bruce McKenzie).—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The entrance of Thea Elvsted (Celeste Arias), a school girl acquaintance, both unsettles and diverts Hedda.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Unnerves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unnerves. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
