1
as in unstrung
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2
as in powerless
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1
as in paralyzed
to deprive of courage or confidence
the riding accident so unnerved me that for a while I was afraid to get back on a horse
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in discouraged
to lessen the courage or confidence of
a figure skater can't afford to be unnerved by an occasional slipup
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Recent Examples of unnerved
The Hill, 12 Feb. 2026
Wall Street is coming off a losing week after increasing geopolitical tensions unnerved investors.
—Sean Conlon,fred Imbert, CNBC, 25 Jan. 2026
Investors were unnerved by Mali’s imposition of the new mining code, as well as punitive measures that included legal action against the company and the jailing of four of its employees.
—semafor.com, 19 Jan. 2026
Even Venezuelans thrilled to see Maduro gone have reason to be unnerved.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2026
In addition, the creation of the fetishes, with their bits of bone, dirt, plants, and other objects, also unnerved enslavers and colonists.
—Literary Hub, 5 Jan. 2026
Between the first incident involving Itsaragrisil until — and after — Bosch's crowning, Sapini told PEOPLE that she was consistently unnerved by the conditions of the competition.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 3 Dec. 2025
In the short clip, Bonnie (who first became the owner of the toy crew in Toy Story 3 when Andy went to college) gets a package, and all of the toys are unnerved by its contents.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Nov. 2025
So unnerved that — after pouring his heart out to the young writer — Allman demanded to see his ID card.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Nov. 2025
Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026
Several of the senators have been unnerved by recent statements from admistration officials about taking Greenland by force.
—Tara Suter, The Hill, 12 Jan. 2026
Michael Burry unnerved investors this week with seemingly fresh wagers against artificial intelligence favorites Nvidia and Palantir Technologies .
—Yun Li, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2025
At the same time, the state assemblyman’s calls to raise taxes on wealthy people and intense criticisms of the Israel’s military actions in Gaza have unnerved some centrists and conservatives, as well as many Jewish New Yorkers.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025
At the same time, the state assemblyman's calls to raise taxes on the wealthy and intense criticisms of the Israeli government's military actions in Gaza have unnerved some centrists and conservatives.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
The new administration’s unorthodox business policies — plus questions about the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate thinking — have unnerved many business owners and corporate executives.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Bondi had a binder at the ready of stats and crime summaries ready to hurl at lawmakers during the contentious hearing, but members are unnerved that DOJ apparently tracked their searches to have at the ready.
—The Hill, 12 Feb. 2026
Wall Street is coming off a losing week after increasing geopolitical tensions unnerved investors.
—Sean Conlon,fred Imbert, CNBC, 25 Jan. 2026
Investors were unnerved by Mali’s imposition of the new mining code, as well as punitive measures that included legal action against the company and the jailing of four of its employees.
—semafor.com, 19 Jan. 2026
Even Venezuelans thrilled to see Maduro gone have reason to be unnerved.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2026
In addition, the creation of the fetishes, with their bits of bone, dirt, plants, and other objects, also unnerved enslavers and colonists.
—Literary Hub, 5 Jan. 2026
Between the first incident involving Itsaragrisil until — and after — Bosch's crowning, Sapini told PEOPLE that she was consistently unnerved by the conditions of the competition.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 3 Dec. 2025
In the short clip, Bonnie (who first became the owner of the toy crew in Toy Story 3 when Andy went to college) gets a package, and all of the toys are unnerved by its contents.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Nov. 2025
So unnerved that — after pouring his heart out to the young writer — Allman demanded to see his ID card.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Nov. 2025
Verb
Away from the lectern, the stock-market plunge—as well as concerns about the bond market and Treasury yields—had unnerved some of the president’s top aides, a White House official and a close outside adviser told us.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026
Several of the senators have been unnerved by recent statements from admistration officials about taking Greenland by force.
—Tara Suter, The Hill, 12 Jan. 2026
Michael Burry unnerved investors this week with seemingly fresh wagers against artificial intelligence favorites Nvidia and Palantir Technologies .
—Yun Li, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2025
At the same time, the state assemblyman’s calls to raise taxes on wealthy people and intense criticisms of the Israel’s military actions in Gaza have unnerved some centrists and conservatives, as well as many Jewish New Yorkers.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025
At the same time, the state assemblyman's calls to raise taxes on the wealthy and intense criticisms of the Israeli government's military actions in Gaza have unnerved some centrists and conservatives.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
The new administration’s unorthodox business policies — plus questions about the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate thinking — have unnerved many business owners and corporate executives.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unnerved
Adjective
-
Foster gives a taut performance despite the unstrung absurdities of the plot.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
16 Jan. 2026
-
When the Premier Lacrosse League’s Boston Cannons opened training camp back in May with unstrung lacrosse stick heads, players knew who to ask for an assist.—
Eric Jackson,
Sportico.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Twin Cities history holds many lessons for civic culture-building in a divided time, when many feel powerless and hopeless.—
Harry Boyte,
Twin Cities,
8 Feb. 2026
-
This behavior is designed to make the people feel powerless and the governing authority impenetrable.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
At times paralyzed by self-doubt and criticism, Donatella believed in the life-changing magic of a great cocktail dress (or a good hair day) to elevate or protect yourself.—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
-
While one of his victims, 19-year-old Darrell Cabey, was paralyzed and suffered permanent brain damage in the shooting, he and the other victims were villainized, even receiving piles of hate mail.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Even so, he was discouraged from pursuing a career in music.—
Jim Dudlicek,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Some borrowers have become discouraged by the wait, experts say.—
Annie Nova,
CNBC,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But on the day the deal closed last week, Esnard sounded less jubilant and more exhausted.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Marc Maron, who helmed his engaging and transgressive interview show WTF for 13 years, is a Jersey Boy who sounds plaintive and exhausted.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Squeaky voices were comic, or emasculated.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Frank feels emasculated by everyone and everything.—
Matt Zoller Seitz,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This is no longer about ideology, this is about standing up for those who are being wrongly arrested, being unfairly harassed or being made to feel constantly frightened in their own homes.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Why was Caesar Augustus frightened of Ovid?—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Florida House Republicans, who assembled a redistricting committee last summer, have been frustrated by the slower pace set by DeSantis.—
Michael Van Sickler,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Ava Mattox, 32, was looking to connect with other readers, frustrated by how few Americans read for pleasure these days.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unnerved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unnerved. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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