nervier; nerviest
1
archaic : sinewy, strong
2
a
: showing or expressive of calm courage : bold
b
: marked by effrontery or presumption : brash
3

Examples of nervy in a Sentence

a nervy performance in the play-offs a nervy film director who's not afraid to take risks The passengers were restless and nervy after the long flight. Too much coffee makes me nervy.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Glasner the magician, European dreams but a nervy summer Drance: Where do the Canucks go from here after magical season falls short? New York Times, 21 May 2024 Trap has a Hitchcockian setup, in which a serial killer (the wonderfully nervy Josh Hartnett) brings his daughter to a pop concert and then must escape a battalion of police who are after him, without giving away his secret. David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2024 Instead, a four-shot lead was derailed by bogeys at 11 and 12 and a string of nervy swings that followed. Brendan Quinn, The Athletic, 4 Aug. 2024 Her expression is at once nervy and pensive, the scholar and the militant in full and equal view. Hazlitt, 4 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for nervy 

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nervy was in 1598

Dictionary Entries Near nervy

Cite this Entry

“Nervy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nervy. Accessed 29 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

nervier; nerviest
1
a
: showing calm courage : fearless
b
: rudely bold
a nervy salesperson
2
nerviness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on nervy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!