How to Use nerve-racking in a Sentence
nerve-racking
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If that feels nerve-racking for you, start with small steps.
—Adunola Adeshola, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
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My first day at Friends, in July 2000, was a nerve-racking blur.
—Time, 21 Aug. 2023
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The two 21-year-olds escaped to Turkey and spent eight nerve-racking hours on a rubber boat in the Mediterranean.
—Erika Solomon, New York Times, 28 May 2023
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For a nerve-racking month, Shady al-Hasoumy said, the family feared the worst for his 10-year-old nephew Yousef.
—Miriam Berger, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024
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All three series are some of the most nerve-racking shows on television.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 15 May 2023
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Choosing whether and where to buy a home is nerve-racking even if your only concern is your wallet.
—Arthur C. Brooks, The Atlantic, 30 Mar. 2023
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For missions headed to the moon’s surface, the two most nerve-racking moments are the rocket launch from Earth and the landing itself.
—Anton Troianovski, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2023
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The drone dropped back to earth — a nerve-racking moment, as the explosive was already triggered to detonate.
—Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 8 May 2023
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Harvey tells Rolling Stone that that anticipation was the most nerve-racking part of performing in the Birthday Party.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2023
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Quitting can be both nerve-racking and adrenaline boosting.
—Samantha Leal, Glamour, 25 Dec. 2023
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Tipped off about planes ferrying refugees out of the country, White escorts two clusters of refugees to the airport, enduring blazing heat, hungry waits and the nerve-racking threat of failure.
—Mark Atwood Lawrence, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2023
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The attention was thrilling and nerve-racking for Van Pelt, who had been a stay-at-home mother and was unaccustomed to making public appearances.
—Alexandra Alter, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2023
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Reese Witherspoon has special memories from the set of Friends but admits being on the iconic set was a nerve-racking experience.
—Mia McNiece, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
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In these moments, Functional Fragrance served as an emotional salve to me and my family members—at the height of the nerve-racking hospital visit, whiffs of the scent offered moments of reprieve to us all.
—Kiana Murden, Vogue, 25 Aug. 2023
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Ballet recitals can be nerve-racking for little ballerinas, but this dad made sure his daughter's first performance went perfectly.
—Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 21 Dec. 2023
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In our bodies, this stress reaction can play out the moment we’re called upon at work to give a presentation, or perhaps during a nerve-racking first date: sweaty palms, bowel discomfort, the sensation of pins and needles pricking the skin.
—Tree Meinch, Discover Magazine, 13 Feb. 2023
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First dates can be intensely nerve-racking experiences.
—Jess Eng, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2023
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Buechner was born deaf and said that having to seek medical treatment without a qualified American Sign Language interpreter can be nerve-racking, frustrating and sometimes dangerous.
—Hunter Turpin, Journal Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2023
Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nerve-racking.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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