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
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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
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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
When people have uncertainty around the performance of a business or the long-term performance or how customers are going to behave, that’s when investors get more nervous about parting with their money.
—
Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 15 Apr. 2025
King, who was said to be very nervous before stepping into the rocket, emerged from the landing capsule with a two-handed wave before dropping to her knees and kissing the ground.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 14 Apr. 2025
The film remains a personal favorite for Ahn, so when the company that owns the film’s rights offered him the chance to remake it, Ahn was both excited and a bit nervous.
—Stuart Miller, Oc Register, 14 Apr. 2025
The unemployment rate is pretty low at the moment, but under the hood Americans sure are nervous about the job market.
—Emily Peck, Axios, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nervous
Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 15 Apr. 2025
King, who was said to be very nervous before stepping into the rocket, emerged from the landing capsule with a two-handed wave before dropping to her knees and kissing the ground.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 14 Apr. 2025
The film remains a personal favorite for Ahn, so when the company that owns the film’s rights offered him the chance to remake it, Ahn was both excited and a bit nervous.
—Stuart Miller, Oc Register, 14 Apr. 2025
The unemployment rate is pretty low at the moment, but under the hood Americans sure are nervous about the job market.
—Emily Peck, Axios, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nervous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nervous
Adjective
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Others are worried about the fate of the Smithsonian more broadly.—
Deborah Barfield Berry,
USA Today,
20 Apr. 2025
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An overwhelming 92 percent are worried about a potential recession in 2025.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Consumer sentiment and expectations Americans are feeling uneasy about the economy, and that is showing up in the data.—
Russ Wiles,
USA Today,
24 Apr. 2025
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Markets have been turbulent ever since as trade policy uncertainty leaves investors uneasy.—
Chris DiLella,
CNBC,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Its participants are easily excitable and just as effortlessly aggrieved, their collective nervous system tied somewhat intrinsically to social media notifications.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
17 Apr. 2025
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And if Django’s Billy Crash tapped into Goggins’s ability to thrive with brutal spite, Mannix plays more to Goggins’s excitable energy and capacity for being clever (even when his character seems to be anything but).—
Daniel Dockery,
Vulture,
6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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How to know when your dog is agitated Identifying an anxious or aggressive dog can be tricky, as negative and positive emotional indicators can often be confused.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
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The Fed chief said Wednesday the central bank can be patient while assessing data on inflation and employment, which are its dual mandates, while anxious consumers and businesses eye potentially prolonged economic instability.—
Alexis Simendinger,
The Hill,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Once tense and apprehensive, Mateo is later shown basking in the sun and running along the sand with other dogs in the care of his rescuer.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
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Erceg, 29, is known for putting out fires — tense situations in which the opposing team is threatening to score.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Gannon informed Nolen that Johnson was a little upset with falling into the second round.—
Doug Haller,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2025
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In medical settings, it's used to treat poisoning, overdoses, high cholesterol, hangovers, and upset stomach.—
Ashley Wong,
Health,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Ghosts that wink could be scary but the face Sal makes is disturbing in other ways.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2025
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In cases where advertising is inevitable, some prefer ads that appeal on a personal level over messaging that can be inappropriate or, even, disturbing and offensive.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Ernst & Young found that 71% of U.S. employees are apprehensive about AI, with 48% expressing more concern now than a year ago and 41% believing that AI is evolving too quickly.—
Ryan Farsai,
Forbes.com,
22 Apr. 2025
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President Donald Trump’s U-turn on the Ukraine war – and his diplomatic embrace of Russia, the country that started it – has left American allies in Europe apprehensive about the future.—
Ned Temko,
The Christian Science Monitor,
27 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nervous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nervous. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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