- present participle of unnerve.
unnerving
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unnerving
Explanation
Use the adjective unnerving to describe situations and experiences that cause you to lose your courage. No matter how brave you are, a walk alone through a cemetery at night is bound to be a little unnerving. You might find it unnerving to get a flat tire on a deserted country road at sunset, or to find yourself onstage mid-play having completely forgotten your lines. In the 1620's, the root word unnerve meant "to destroy the strength of," but by the early 1700's it came to mean "to deprive of courage."
Vocabulary lists containing unnerving
The Dead and the Gone
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Ten Words from The New York Times - June 5, 2013
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It is unnerving to see how close the drone came to the dozens of apartment buildings surrounding the plant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
The album would include one of her most beloved tracks — the tender-sung piano ballad “Ay Amor!” — as well as “Esta Soledad,” which underscored an unnerving grief.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Assessing these four guest hosts is, ultimately, an unnerving and dreadful task.
From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026
Performing a comedy routine based on her experience was unnerving, she says, as she was scared to be vulnerable about her mistakes and risk being called a fool by the audience.
From BBC ● May 18, 2026
But the unnerving stillness in her eyes abated, at least.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
