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Synonyms

bundle of nerves

American  

noun

  1. someone who is overcome with worry, fear, or anxiety.

    He’s an incredible singer but a complete bundle of nerves before a performance.
bundle of nerves Idioms  

  1. Extremely jittery, tense, or fearful person, as in For months after the accident, Aunt Jane was a bundle of nerves. [1930s]

Etymology

Origin of bundle of nerves

First recorded in 1935–40

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.

Keys, who upset Aryna Sabalenka in last year's final, admitted after her laboured first-round win that she was a bundle of nerves and "too timid".

From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026

They were a bundle of nerves stepping into the venue, he said, but other guests immediately put them at ease.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 8, 2025

The major concern was how much damage had been done to his spinal cord, which is a bundle of nerves that transmits information between the brain and the body.

From BBC • Jan. 20, 2024

If you are attacked, the most sensitive part of a shark is its nose, which is a bundle of nerves, and its eyes.

From National Geographic • Aug. 17, 2023

Madame Babushkinov was ill equipped to console the child, for she was a bundle of nerves herself and chattered nonstop.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

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.