nervousness

American

[nur-vuhs-nis] / ˈnɜr vəs nɪs /

noun

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

Etymology

Origin of nervousness

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

Explanation

Nervousness is a quality of feeling anxious, worried, or alarmed. Your nervousness about flying in an airplane for the first time shouldn't keep you from fulfilling your dream of traveling to Iceland! Nervousness takes many forms. What's thrilling to one person —skydiving, public speaking, hosting a party — makes others feel nervous down to their bones. Your dog's nervousness around loud city traffic might finally convince you to move to the country, while your brother might end up outgrowing his nervousness around animals and wind up becoming a vet someday. Nervousness can involve sweating and trembling, or it can be invisible to observers.

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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.

In generalized anxiety disorder, for example, people may worry excessively about ordinary events and struggle to control nervousness or fear.

From Science Daily • May 16, 2026

Excessive laughter, he noted, can come from a feeling of superiority, nervousness in uncomfortable moments or peer pressure when others are laughing.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

That, combined with his understandable nervousness, caused him to short-arm his first fastball, which sailed at Cey’s head, sending him sprawling into the dirt.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026

As nervousness spread, even banks eventually stopped lending to each other for fear of not getting their money back, creating a so-called "credit crunch".

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

“You go ahead, mijo,” Papá said, noticing my nervousness.

From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez

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