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Synonyms

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.
nerve-racking British  

adjective

  1. very distressing, exhausting, or harrowing

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Conrad: For me, just the idea of bringing cameras back into my life was very nerve-racking, but we were all executive producers.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

For anyone facing potentially dire medical results or other nerve-racking ambiguities, the waiting is the hardest part.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

“And as nerve-racking as it may be to take that big swing, you gotta take the big swing.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

Distribution — where you start to draw money from those funds, like an expensive wine in your cellar — can be nerve-racking.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 29, 2026

Talk that felt exhilarating in Ms. Hussey’s classroom was nerve-racking elsewhere.

From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett

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.