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
-
Critics like López-Owens see it as a prime example of how the establishment discourages new voices from getting involved.—
Jordan Smith,
IndyStar,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The blueprint also discourages Congress from taking up AI copyright issues.—
Hayden Field,
The Verge,
20 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
-
Sports-rights fragmentation frustrates plenty of fans.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
23 Mar. 2026
-
The water allocation giving priority to agriculture frustrates Everglades advocates.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Frankly, the thought of being beaten by the subscribers terrifies me.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Aubry Bracco is the kind of player who terrifies a certain (male) demographic of Survivor alumni.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
25 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
-
The case has heightened concerns among Canada’s Iranian diaspora, many of whom have warned for years that Tehran monitors and intimidates critics abroad.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Maybe her coolness intimidates them, or her green eyes.—
Rodrigo Hasbún,
Literary Hub,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Diana’s death unsettles both John and Carolyn in the series.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Mar. 2026
-
What unsettles us, though, is a pause.—
Essence,
Essence,
3 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Unnerves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unnerves. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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