UNNERVES Synonyms: 91 Similar and Opposite Words

unnerves

verb

present tense third-person singular of unnerve

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

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as in discourages

to lessen the courage or confidence of a figure skater can't afford to be unnerved by an occasional slipup

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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 unnerves But spending her nights on the casino floor was only Charbonneau’s first step toward embodying Cay, a free-spirited sculptor by day who unnerves Vivan from their first, cinematic encounter. — Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 16 June 2026 The idea unnerves critics but thrills its architects. — Andrew R. Chow, Time, 6 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unnerves

Verb

Fear, like ignorance, shuts our eyes to and paralyzes our trust in God’s omnipotence, omniscience, and unfailing love for His children, whereas the understanding of God’s ever-present goodness removes the fear that generates suffering.

— André Kisonga, Christian Science Monitor, 30 June 2026
These opportunists drown out the core mission, creating a cacophony of competing voices that confuses donors, crowd the inboxes of CEOs and members of Congress with colliding petitions, and paralyzes meaningful action by draining critical funding and attention away from the truly effective groups.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 28 June 2026

Definition of paralyzes

Verb

Residents are asked not to burn and the Department of Natural Resources also discourages lighting campfires in the region.

— WCCO Staff, CBS News, 12 July 2026
For children under 18 months, the AAP discourages all screen use except for video chatting with family.

— Elizabeth Dowdell, The Conversation, 6 July 2026

Definition of discourages

Verb

As horror franchises evolve across installments, there’s a natural tendency for the creatives behind them to overthink things and get a bit too lost in the sauce of mythos and worldbuilding and topping themselves with bigger, juicier scares.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 10 July 2026
What scares many of them is the loss of predictability, the sense of no longer recognizing their own reactions.

— Dr. Sarah Berg, Time, 9 July 2026

Definition of scares

Verb

That is precisely the capability that unsettles underwriters, because an agent that can decide is an agent that can decide wrongly, and fast.

— Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
But Hyd unsettles this arrangement with their deadpan affect, playing the part of a mourning truth-seeker trying to live in the moment.

— H.D. Angel, Pitchfork, 2 June 2026

Definition of unsettles

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unnerved

unnerves

unnerving

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“Unnerves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unnerves. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of unnerves

verb

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