1
as in worried
feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty
he was nervous about how he would do at the varsity basketball tryouts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in uneasy
marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings
a nervous silence filled the room as the teacher handed out the graded exams
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in excitable
easily excited by nature
a nervous sort of person, she's completely thrown by anything unexpected
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of nervous
And a strong job market in the years that followed, with more job openings than job seekers at times, helped embolden workers who might have been nervous otherwise about organizing efforts.
—
Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2025
In that car ride, the brother and sister talk like nervous neighbors over a fence.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2025
As if Sandburg’s Sean Ruisz wasn’t nervous enough about making his varsity debut against district rival Andrew, throw in a shoulder injury that sidelined him from practice for the entire week.
—Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
The movie’s big scene sees Colt three points from the match, battling his nervous inner monologue as much as his opponent across the net.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nervous
Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2025
In that car ride, the brother and sister talk like nervous neighbors over a fence.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2025
As if Sandburg’s Sean Ruisz wasn’t nervous enough about making his varsity debut against district rival Andrew, throw in a shoulder injury that sidelined him from practice for the entire week.
—Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025
The movie’s big scene sees Colt three points from the match, battling his nervous inner monologue as much as his opponent across the net.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nervous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nervous
Adjective
-
People should be joyful, not worried.—
Evan Webeck,
Mercury News,
7 Sep. 2025
-
He’s not focused on the economy, which most Americans are worried about.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
And that helped to resolve that weird uneasy tension in my head.—
Maria Reva
September 3,
Literary Hub,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The safe-haven asset offers investors a hedge against an uneasy financial environment as a sharp hiring slowdown coincides with a steady uptick of inflation, according to analysts.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Neurons and glial cells are like dance partners in the brain, coordinating moves that shape how signals flow and how excitable neurons become.—
Pranjal Malewar,
New Atlas,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Tony has fully bought into the dream, and Skarsgård plays him with excitable, boyish humor, almost as if the whole thing were a game.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Maddie is talented, warm, funny and kind but also anxious, plagued with low self-esteem cultivated by a traumatic childhood.—
Jourdain Searles,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
-
The other may be unsure, though not opposed, but anxious about leaving family and community.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
After a turbulent few weeks, things only became more tense when Sean McLaughlin and Allyshia Gupta claimed to have information that could destroy the relationship.—
Liza Esquibias,
People.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The first section is reasonably tense and engrossing.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
There have been some instances, however, when an upset crayfish comes home from a hard day of crayfishing only to have to kick out a frog and cap the burrow.—
Karl Schneider,
IndyStar,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Meanwhile, for an AI that claims someone is going into something bad, but the AI has computationally misjudged the circumstance, users are bound to howl and get upset with the AI and the AI maker.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
That's depicted in a disturbing, if somewhat inscrutable, scene.—
Esther Zuckerman,
Time,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Possibly, something disturbing will occur because someone has decided to make emotional demands on you.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Auggie appeared apprehensive at first and didn't quite know what to do with the bed.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
-
His top striker, Harry Kane, offered a slightly more apprehensive view, however.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nervous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nervous. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share