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nervous

[nur-vuhs]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nervous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

Origin of nervous

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin nervōsus sinewy, equivalent to nerv(us) nerve + -ōsus -ous
Related formsnerv·ous·ly, adverbnerv·ous·ness, nounnon·ner·vous, adjectivenon·ner·vous·ly, adverbnon·ner·vous·ness, nouno·ver·nerv·ous, adjectiveo·ver·nerv·ous·ly, adverbo·ver·nerv·ous·ness, nounsem·i·nerv·ous, adjectivesem·i·nerv·ous·ly, adverbsem·i·nerv·ous·ness, nounun·nerv·ous, adjectiveun·nerv·ous·ly, adverbun·nerv·ous·ness, noun

Synonyms for nervous

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nervous ON THESAURUS.COM
1. fearful, timid, timorous.

Antonyms for nervous

1. confident, bold.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for nervously

excitedly, restlessly, anxiously, apprehensively

Examples from the Web for nervously

Contemporary Examples of nervously

Historical Examples of nervously

  • Then as the two became accustomed to the light, I saw what I had nervously expected.

  • Evelyn spoke quickly and nervously, and with quivering lips.

  • Molly nervously joined her, and addressed her, once or twice, in a whisper.

    Meadow Grass

    Alice Brown

  • Relieved of this weight, Little Dorrit was nervously anxious to be gone.

    Little Dorrit

    Charles Dickens

  • Her hands were then nervously clasping together, but he took one of them.

    Little Dorrit

    Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for nervously

nervous

adjective

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
Derived Formsnervously, adverbnervousness, noun
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 nervously

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.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
nervously in Medicine

nervous

[nûr′vəs]

adj.

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.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.