1
as in worried
feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty
he was nervous about how he would do at the varsity basketball tryouts
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nervous
And then Nancy arrived, which made Leslie nervous because Gary seemed interested in her.
—
EW.com, 22 July 2025
Rocky was reportedly nervous entering the new environment after having lived with his family for the past seven years.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 19 July 2025
As a disabled person moving through the park with a service animal, Hurtado was nervous for their day at Disneyland.
—Colson Thayer, People.com, 17 July 2025
This new reality has made the American public, both Democrats and Republicans, justifiably nervous, and our polling captures this widespread trepidation.
—Adam Eichen, The Conversation, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for nervous
EW.com, 22 July 2025
Rocky was reportedly nervous entering the new environment after having lived with his family for the past seven years.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 19 July 2025
As a disabled person moving through the park with a service animal, Hurtado was nervous for their day at Disneyland.
—Colson Thayer, People.com, 17 July 2025
This new reality has made the American public, both Democrats and Republicans, justifiably nervous, and our polling captures this widespread trepidation.
—Adam Eichen, The Conversation, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for nervous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nervous
Adjective
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Many tourism leaders in gateway towns near them are worried tourists will start going elsewhere if the park experience or its environment gets eroded.—
Kirk Siegler,
NPR,
24 July 2025
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As an interior and environment appropriations bill makes its way through Congress, activists are worried about its impacts, including on coal ash regulations.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
23 July 2025
Adjective
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She Rides Shotgun begins with one uneasy situation and ends on quite another, and the two hours in between are anything but comfortable.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
31 July 2025
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Step 3: Open the door and actually listen Senior leaders should become more visible, Burke says, especially to help coach managers who feel uneasy addressing tough topics.—
Alyshia Hull,
USA Today,
29 July 2025
Adjective
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In the emotionally complex role of Bert, Jonathan West gives a winning turn that’s all heart – just like a Golden – and makes a great team with Jamie Elvey’s excitable but pragmatic Trixie.—
Duante Beddingfield,
Freep.com,
30 July 2025
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Second, from a real-world perspective, if a dog is highly excitable or reactive, certain programming might overstimulate or stress them.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
17 July 2025
Adjective
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With Iran and its proxies diminished and Gulf states anxious to diversify their economies, any prospect for broader peace and normalization runs through Riyadh.—
Edward Felsenthal,
Time,
23 July 2025
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This is their first major sit-down interview together, and both are a bit anxious.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
23 July 2025
Adjective
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In a city that has endured tensions over Old School Square, code enforcement incompetence, a tense police contract impasse, and a city employee’s claims of being strong-armed by a city commissioner (not substantiated by an outside review), this adds to Delray’s headaches.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
2 Aug. 2025
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Mulino’s support comes as the $22.8 billion transaction remains a proxy in the tense relationship between the U.S. and China, both of whom have had their differing opinions of the sale.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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In one video posted to X, Ortega became visibly upset when one fan said her name loudly.—
Megan Cartwright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Aug. 2025
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Bettors are taking the underdog in the hopes of an upset.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The board of the Regional Transportation Authority met Friday to discuss ways to respond to the cut, striking a note of optimism to counter the disturbing prediction for Tri-Rail’s future.—
Rafael Olmeda,
Sun Sentinel,
25 July 2025
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This is a disturbing statistic and speaks to an increase in the total number of people defacing themselves, but also a rise in the amount of ink per person.—
Scott Liftman,
Boston Herald,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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Considering schools have regularly been paying top talents hundreds of thousands — if not millions — of dollars annually, coaches were understandably apprehensive about the clearinghouse review process.—
Brendan Marks,
New York Times,
24 July 2025
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But mom Angelina is reportedly feeling like any parent when her kids leave the nest, apprehensive.—
Lissete Lanuza Sáenz,
StyleCaster,
19 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nervous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nervous. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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