nerve-racking

American  

[nurv-rak-ing] / ˈnɜrvˌræk ɪŋ /

Or nerve-wracking

adjective

1. extremely irritating, annoying, or trying.

   a nerve-racking day; a nerve-racking noise.

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nerve-racking British  

adjective

1. very distressing, exhausting, or harrowing

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Etymology

Origin of nerve-racking

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

“It’s been scary at times, it’s been nerve-racking at times. … I just figure I’m in the same boat everybody else is in.”

From Los Angeles Times

For 10 nerve-racking hours, Machado and two people helping her escape hit 10 military checkpoints, avoiding capture each time, before she reached the coast by midnight, said a person close to the operation.

From The Wall Street Journal

Watching him use this technology was both thrilling and a little nerve-racking.

From The Wall Street Journal

Harmonizing for Plant, is “one of the most nerve-racking and evidentially vulnerable parts of anything that I’ve ever done,” he admits.

From Los Angeles Times

His silence was nerve-racking, for no one knew whether to prepare for an explosion or a celebration.

From Literature

Related Words

• annoying
• stressful
• trying