nerveless

American

[nurv-lis] / ˈnɜrv lɪs /

adjective

without nervousness, as in emergencies; calm; collected.
lacking strength or vigor; feeble; weak.
lacking firmness or courage; spiritless; cowardly.
Anatomy, Botany. having no nerves.

nerveless British

/ ˈnɜːvlɪs /

adjective

calm and collected
listless or feeble

"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

Other Word Forms

nervelessly adverb
nervelessness noun

Etymology

Origin of nerveless

First recorded in 1725–35; nerve + -less

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.

Regarded as calm beyond his years even then, his nerveless mentality and clear thinking were on show yet again in the febrile atmosphere of the Wankhede Stadium.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026

Yamamoto's nerveless contribution on Saturday -- which saw him shepherd the Dodgers over the line in a nail-biting 11th inning -- left team-mates and coaching staff in disbelief.

From Barron's • Nov. 2, 2025

Even as the tied game ticked into extra time, the match felt strangely nerveless.

From New York Times • Apr. 19, 2024

The Springboks escaped with a 16-15 victory after replacement flyhalf Handre Pollard’s nerveless late penalty from near the halfway line.

From Washington Times • Oct. 24, 2023

He stood quite still, holding the miraculous paper in his nerveless fingers while inside him a kind of quiet eruption sent joy and grief thundering in equal measure through his veins.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023