nervous
[nur-vuhs]
- highly excitable; unnaturally or acutely uneasy or apprehensive: to become nervous under stress.
- of or relating to the nerves: nervous tension.
- affecting the nerves: nervous diseases.
- suffering from, characterized by, or originating in disordered nerves.
- characterized by or attended with acute uneasiness or apprehension: a nervous moment for us all.
- having or containing nerves.
- sinewy or strong.
- Archaic. vigorous or spirited.
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Origin of nervous
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comAntonyms
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
shakyapprehensiveirritableafraidconcernedvolatileagitatedhystericaljumpyweakuneasyuptighttensetimidhesitantskittishshyedgyjitteryannoyedExamples from the Web for nervous
Contemporary Examples
In this nervous city in an embattled country, even small explosions can have a big impact.
Are you excited, nervous, afraid, all of the above for the new Star Wars films?
Nervous fans can keep a vigilant eye on it via a webcam hosted on the town website that offers 24-hour goat viewing.
Truth be told, there is no one better at capturing the agony and alarm of a woman in the throes of a nervous breakdown than Moore.
He's watching it because of his fondness for Bergman and because, he says, “She'll be nervous about my opinion.”
Historical Examples
Hipparete blushed, and with a quick and nervous motion touched her cithara.
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
It made her interlace her fingers with nervous anxiety, but it set a fire in her eyes.
Way of the LawlessMax Brand
Don't let them see you get nervous when they turn out of the coaches.
Way of the LawlessMax Brand
And the sight of his white face and his nervous right hand was too much for them.
Way of the LawlessMax Brand
The girl's answer was uttered with nervous eagerness which revealed her own stress of fear.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
nervous
- very excitable or sensitive; highly strung
- (often foll by of) apprehensive or worriedI'm nervous of traffic
- of, relating to, or containing nerves; neuralnervous tissue
- affecting the nerves or nervous tissuea nervous disease
- archaic active, vigorous, or forceful
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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
Word Origin and History for nervous
adj.
c.1400, "affecting the sinews," from Latin nervosus "sinewy, vigorous," from nervus "sinew, nerve" (see nerve). Meaning "of or belonging to the nerves" in the modern sense is from 1660s. Meaning "suffering disorder of the nervous system" is from 1734; illogical sense "restless, agitated, lacking nerve" is 1740. Widespread popular use as a euphemism for mental forced the medical community to coin neurological to replace it in the older sense. Nervous wreck first attested 1862. Related: Nervously; nervousness.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
nervous
(nûr′vəs)- Of or relating to the nerves or nervous system.
- Stemming from or affecting the nerves or nervous system, as a disease.
- Easily agitated or distressed.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.