nervous

adjective

ner·​vous ˈnər-vəs How to pronounce nervous (audio)
1
a
: timid, apprehensive
a nervous smile
nervous of strangers
b
: easily excited or irritated : jumpy
… so nervous that he had to be escorted outside court to vomit …Kevin Johnson and Andrea Stone
c
: of or relating to the nerves
also : originating in or affected by the nerves
nervous energy
a nervous twitch
2
a
: tending to produce nervousness or agitation : uneasy
a nervous situation
His face was twisted in nervous anticipation.Dagoberto Gilb
b
: appearing or acting unsteady, erratic, or irregular
used of inanimate things
… climbed carefully into his nervous kayak …Farley Mowat
3
: of, relating to, or composed of neurons
4
: marked by strength of thought, feeling, or style : spirited
a vibrant tight-packed nervous style of writing
5
archaic : sinewy, strong
nervously adverb
nervousness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for nervous

vigorous, energetic, strenuous, lusty, nervous mean having or showing great vitality and force.

vigorous further implies showing no signs of depletion or diminishing of freshness or robustness.

as vigorous as a youth half his age

energetic suggests a capacity for intense activity.

an energetic campaigner

strenuous suggests a preference for coping with the arduous or the challenging.

the strenuous life on an oil rig

lusty implies exuberant energy and capacity for enjoyment.

a lusty appetite for life

nervous suggests especially the forcibleness and sustained effectiveness resulting from mental vigor.

full of nervous energy

Examples of nervous in a Sentence

She is nervous about her job interview. All this waiting is making me nervous. He gave a nervous glance at the clock. His nervous mother is always worrying that something terrible will happen to him. He has a nervous disposition. It was a very nervous situation. She suffers from a nervous disorder. He walked around with a nervous twitch. He had a nervous habit of pulling at his hair. The boy has a lot of nervous energy.
Recent Examples on the Web Kind's expertise at playing characters who are equal parts sweet, slightly exasperated, and terribly nervous makes his role as Marty Glouberman a stroke of casting genius, sounding like the kind of guy who's always just about to knock a lamp off the table. Debby Wolfinsohn, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024 Naysayers point to anemic poll numbers while other nervous Democrats worry about a rising anger among the activist left over Israel's war in Gaza, which could cause a critical portion of younger left-leaning voters to bolt. Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024 But the clock is running, and some are nervous whether this will be ready to launch on time. Alan J. Borsuk, Journal Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2024 An eighth chorus member had got nervous and dropped out. Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 Inside the ceremonies, the audiences are tough: self-conscious, nervous and, as the night unfolds and more of them lose, in a souring mood. Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2024 People are understandably nervous about taking risks. Adam Stott, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Both teams looked nervous early before Arenas finally broke the scoreless tie on a pair of free throws with 4:47 left in the first quarter. Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2024 The lane centering feature was confident and subtle, rounding curves with none of the nervous little corrections that marked some other first tries at hands-free driving. Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nervous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French nervus, nervous, borrowed from Latin nervōsus "full of tendons, sinewy, tough, vigorous (of a person or literary style)," from nervus "sinew, muscle, nerve entry 1" + -ōsus -ous

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 5

Time Traveler
The first known use of nervous was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near nervous

Cite this Entry

“Nervous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nervous. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

nervous

adjective
ner·​vous ˈnər-vəs How to pronounce nervous (audio)
1
a
: of, relating to, or composed of neurons
nervous tissue
b
: of or relating to the nerves
c
: having its source in or affected by the nerves
nervous energy
2
a
: easily excited or irritated
a nervous person
b
: timid, fearful
a nervous smile
3
: causing uncomfortable feelings
a nervous situation
nervously adverb
nervousness noun

Medical Definition

nervous

adjective
ner·​vous ˈnər-vəs How to pronounce nervous (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or composed of neurons
the nervous layer of the eye
2
a
: of or relating to the nerves
also : originating in or affected by the nerves
nervous energy
b
: easily excited or irritated
nervously adverb
nervousness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on nervous

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