1
as in to paralyze
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to discourage
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
as in disturbing
marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings
the unnerving news of yet another murder
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in paralyzing
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in discouraging
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
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Recent Examples of unnerve
Keith Phipps, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2025
Since President Trump took office in January, Head Start centers have been unnerved by an escalating series of threats, including, most recently, total annihilation.
—Jenny Gold, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025
Briony then leads Jamie down a line of questioning that unnerves him.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2025
Several workers said that this indefinite period of leave has only unnerved them further as agencies eye deep additional cuts ordered by President Trump.
—Eileen Sullivan, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unnerve
Verb
That his girlfriend lives in a world where she’s remained unaware of any of these movies unnerves him.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2025
Since President Trump took office in January, Head Start centers have been unnerved by an escalating series of threats, including, most recently, total annihilation.
—Jenny Gold, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025
Briony then leads Jamie down a line of questioning that unnerves him.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2025
Several workers said that this indefinite period of leave has only unnerved them further as agencies eye deep additional cuts ordered by President Trump.
—Eileen Sullivan, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unnerve
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unnerve
Adjective
-
The withdrawn teen obsessively draws dark spiders in class and shows a disturbing fixation on news reports of school shootings.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
6 June 2025
-
His disturbing legacy drew the attention of filmmaker and former HBO executive Kary Antholis, who had followed the case for decades.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
4 June 2025
Adjective
-
Some are bigger than others: economic uncertainty, changing customer behaviors, personal isolation, leadership burnout, marketing crisis, brand reputation, uneasy board members, investor expectations, consumer confidence, health issues and family challenges.—
Nancy Padberg,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
-
But Musk’s rebuke has energized fiscal hawks in the Senate who were already uneasy with the legislation’s scope.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
3 June 2025
Adjective
-
Human Parallels: Our Bias Toward Confident Eloquence Perhaps most unsettling is how closely this AI limitation mirrors a persistent human cognitive bias.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
-
Graham says the casting team had considered looking for an older boy, given the demands of the role and the show’s unsettling subject matter.—
Glenn Whipp,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2025
Adjective
-
Their only hope is to get to a nearby island, a situation made harder – and much more tense – by a clever great white, noteworthy for being a real shark rather than a CGI one like most films use.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
16 June 2025
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Over the past few weeks, Bieber has found himself at the center of increasingly tense run-ins with paparazzi.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
16 June 2025
Adjective
-
One in every three young adults aged 18-25 reports feeling anxious or lonely.—
Ann Kowal Smith,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
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Coi Leray has blessed her anxious fans with first glimpses of her and Trippie Redd’s baby girl.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
17 June 2025
Adjective
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After a decade of mayhem, property destruction, and nervous soldiers firing into a crowd, the rebellion broke into gunfire between British regulars and American militia at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775.—
Dan McLaughlin,
National Review,
17 June 2025
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Any time there is a change at that level, people get nervous.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
Adjective
-
Daniel is haunted by skeletons Back in 1984, Daniel LaRusso was beaten to a pulp by Johnny and his Cobra Kai buddies, who were all dressed in creepy skeleton costumes for Halloween.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
16 June 2025
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Made by Cozy Game Pals, Fear the Spotlight primarily served as a retro fun and creepy, lower-stakes entry into the horror video game genre for younger or novice players.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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But the road to telling that story began with a restless boy in a quiet town, one who found escape not on the water, but in the light of screens both big and small, captivated by Steven Spielberg’s work and the classic soap opera Guiding Light.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
19 June 2025
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Meanwhile, the restless Seonwoo smells a vile stench from the apartment below where a lonely woman lives, and investigates.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unnerve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unnerve. Accessed 23 Jun. 2025.
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