nervous
Americanadjective
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highly excitable; unnaturally or acutely uneasy or apprehensive.
to become nervous under stress.
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of or relating to the nerves.
nervous tension.
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affecting the nerves.
nervous diseases.
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experiencing, characterized by, or originating in a nervous system disorder.
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characterized by or attended with acute uneasiness or apprehension.
a nervous moment for us all.
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having or containing nerves.
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sinewy or strong.
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Archaic. vigorous or spirited.
adjective
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very excitable or sensitive; highly strung
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(often foll by of) apprehensive or worried
I'm nervous of traffic
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of, relating to, or containing nerves; neural
nervous tissue
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affecting the nerves or nervous tissue
a nervous disease
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archaic active, vigorous, or forceful
Other Word Forms
- nervously adverb
- nervousness noun
- nonnervous adjective
- nonnervously adverb
- overnervous adjective
- overnervously adverb
- seminervous adjective
- seminervously adverb
- unnervous adjective
- unnervously adverb
Etymology
Origin of nervous
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin nervōsus “sinewy,” equivalent to nerv(us) nerve + -ōsus -ous
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’s almost like biting your nails or another nervous habit,” North said.
From Los Angeles Times
"There was a lot of controversy about when it first opened, so I was really nervous at first," she said.
From BBC
"I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I would be," she said after including a difficult triple Axel jump in her "What a Wonderful World" programme.
From Barron's
“He sounded OK … It was just a totally normal conversation. He was a little nervous about the operation going in, but he said it wasn’t super serious,” manager Gregg Edwards told the Post in December.
From Los Angeles Times
The Palace has had some nervous moments in recent times, with questions shouted by hecklers suggesting they might be protecting Andrew.
From BBC
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.
