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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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
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
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In fact, too much choice often paralyzes decision-making.
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Once an octopus ambushes and bites its prey, the venom in its saliva paralyzes the prey, allowing the octopus to consume it.
Verb
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Better solutions may exist, but the effort required to replace the ecosystem discourages change.
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The color yellow attracts yellow jackets and other pollinating insects, so the all-red design increases your chances of attracting hummingbirds and discourages bees and wasps from staking claim over the sweet nectar.
Verb
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What frightens scientists more than the sheer numbers are that the cuts are arbitrary and manifestly pernicious.
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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.
Verb
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What frustrates me is when the CTA isn’t there.
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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.
Verb
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Frankly, the thought of being beaten by the subscribers terrifies me.
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Aubry Bracco is the kind of player who terrifies a certain (male) demographic of Survivor alumni.
Verb
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Any loud sound just scares her terribly.
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Look directly at the thing that scares you.
Verb
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Any passenger who assaults, threatens, intimidates or interferes with airline crew members can lead to penalties of up to $43,658 per violation, according to the FAA.
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The aura of the classical guitar intimidates me.
Verb
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That is precisely the capability that unsettles underwriters, because an agent that can decide is an agent that can decide wrongly, and fast.
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But Hyd unsettles this arrangement with their deadpan affect, playing the part of a mourning truth-seeker trying to live in the moment.
Cite this Entry
“Unnerves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unnerves. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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