nervousness

[nur-vuhs-nis]

noun

1. the state or condition of being highly, acutely, or unnaturally uneasy or excitable.

   There is always an element of nervousness or stage fright in public speaking.

   High levels of thyroid hormones can cause side effects such as weight loss, rapid heart rate, and nervousness.

Other Word Forms

• nonnervousness noun
• overnervousness noun
• seminervousness noun
• unnervousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of nervousness¹

nervous ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Example Sentences

They were very clear on what their expectation was and what they wanted to accomplish, so that has quelled some of the nervousness.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Then she smiled, and so did he, and all nervousness left her, for it seemed a decision of sorts had been made between them.

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Maybe it was Michael’s imagination, but it felt like the air radiated with shared nervousness, like they were both jumpy and scared, even though they were just standing there, watching and waiting.

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McFadden thought "lousy defending" and "a nervousness" from their previous recent meetings with Greece contributed to Saturday's eventful defeat.

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Landlords have said the reforms would increase the screening of prospective tenants and have spoken of nervousness around what happens when tenancies go wrong.

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Related Words

• agitation 
• anger 
• disquiet 
• impatience 
• jitters www.thesaurus.com
• sensitivity 
• stage fright 
• stress 
• tension 
• turbulence 
• uneasiness www.thesaurus.com
• worry