nervy

American  

[nur-vee] / ˈnɜr vi /

adjective

nervier, nerviest

1. brashly presumptuous or insolent; pushy.

   a nervy thing to say; a nervy trick to pull.

2. having or showing courage; brave or bold.

   the nervy feats of the mountaineers.

3. strong; sinewy; vigorous.

   a hard, nervy physique.

4. Chiefly British. straining one's patience or forbearance; trying.

5. nervous; excitable; on edge.

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nervy British  

/ ˈnɜːvɪ /

adjective

1. informal tense or apprehensive

2. having or needing bravery or endurance

3. informal brash or cheeky

4. archaic muscular; sinewy

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Other Word Forms

• nervily adverb
• nerviness noun

Etymology

Origin of nervy

First recorded in 1600–10; nerve + -y ¹

Example Sentences

The thing with Arsenal is that they do get nervy and you can see them having a dip, and drawing games like this.

From BBC

Redknapp and Pauling as well as jockey Ben Jones spent a nervy few miniutes waiting on the photo finish before his number eight was called -- winning by just a nose.

From Barron's

As the race finally started after a nervy weekend for McLaren, the pressure was high after the team had suffered two difficult races in the grands prix preceding this one.

From BBC

"It was a bit nervy for me, which is expected. I felt I was able to loosen up and I just started playing a lot better."

From BBC

Sale, under the heavy influence of fly-half Ford, set up a nervy finish but new Tigers head coach Geoff Parling has instilled a desire to get over the line, which his side did again.

From BBC