nerve-racking
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of nerve-racking
First recorded in 1805–15
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 was nerve-racking for her to get on stage, in front of friends and family members and talk about her struggles with mental health but it was also liberating.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
"That was the most nerve-racking 800 of my life," O'Connor said.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
“It’s nerve-racking and worth watching,” he said, with margin debt likely targeting areas of the market with momentum.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
The product offers clinicians an easy way to learn without having to practice on patients already undergoing nerve-racking procedures.
From Slate ● Jun. 7, 2026
In sum: You are racked with guilt, you’ve had a nerve-racking time, and you’re facing wrack and ruin.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
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.
