unnerve
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Etymology
Origin of unnerve
Explanation
To unnerve someone is to make them feel scared or confused. Haunted houses are meant to unnerve you — though there may be nothing that unnerves you more than the first day at a new school. The original meaning of unnerve, dating back to the 17th century, was "to destroy the strength of." The source of this definition was a now-obsolete meaning of nerve, "to give strength and vigor." Today when you unnerve someone, instead of destroying their strength, you destroy their composure — in other words, you make them nervous or uncertain.
Vocabulary lists containing unnerve
This Week in Words: January 5 - 11, 2019
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"Sorry, Wrong Number" by Lucille Fletcher
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Grown
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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.
Treacy at Apex sees any change in the Fed’s language around the risk of inflation due to geopolitical conflict as likely to unnerve investors.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 18, 2026
Energy turmoil could unnerve investors already worried about how much tech companies are spending on data centers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026
There could be production or sales hiccups that unnerve investors.
From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026
Some investors said that replacing Reeves now could unnerve financial markets.
From BBC • Jul. 2, 2025
The scene becomes an anecdote, an action that would unnerve Vera Louise and defend him against patricide.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
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.
