unnerve

[ uhn-nurv ]

/ ʌnˈnɜrv /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR unnerve ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), un·nerved, un·nerv·ing.

to deprive of courage, strength, determination, or confidence; upset: Fear unnerved him.

Nearby words

Origin of unnerve

First recorded in 1595–1605; un-² + nerve

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

Examples from the Web for unnerving

So much of what is considered “romantic” is actually inappropriate, pressuring, or unnerving.
Public Marriage Proposals Must Die|Tauriq Moosa|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Through it all, Chris Hughes nodded approvingly, an unnerving grin on his face.
Facebook Prince Purges The New Republic: Inside the Destruction of a 100-Year-Old Magazine|Lloyd Grove|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Daily Mail reports that Mr Anderson Wheeler, 34, said: “I found it very harassing and unnerving.”
How A British Aristocrat Used Big Game Hunter’s Sperm To Get Pregnant Without His Permission|Tom Sykes|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hearing the names of places students frequent on the national news has been unnerving, students told The Daily Beast.
Person of Interest Identified in Disappearance of UVA Student Hannah Graham|Julia Horowitz|September 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The result is an intimate and unnerving dive into their relationship narrated by the two subjects.
When the Son of Hamas Spied for Israel|Nina Strochlic|August 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For seconds nothing happened on the screen, unnerving seconds while the two men held their breath.
Empire|Clifford Donald Simak
The preparations for the funeral were so frightful, and all the thoughts it brought so unnerving, that I was almost ill.
Richard Vandermarck|Miriam Coles Harris
It was a timid shadow—perhaps a shadow of strange and unnerving experiences.
The Ape, the Idiot & Other People|W. C. Morrow
Her witchery is unnerving me, he silently muttered, as he felt his will-power was dominant no longer.
An Oregon Girl|Alfred Ernest Rice
Driven forth again I fly home, accompanied by the unnerving tones of the mirliton pipes.
The Inferno|August Strindberg

British Dictionary definitions for unnerving

unnerve

/ (ʌnˈnɜːv) /

verb

(tr) to cause to lose courage, strength, confidence, self-control, etc

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 unnerving