With so many people around he naturally became a bit nervous.
Source: tatoeba (1554)
Nervous
/ˈnɜːvəs/
Synonyms for "nervous" (269 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (54)
Strong matches (81)
excitedexplosivefearfulfearingfearsomefeverishfidgetyflurriedflusteredforcefulforcibleforebodingfranticfretfulfrightenedgingerlygooseygoosygutsyhigh spirited
Show 33 more words
high strunghigh-mettledhigh-spiritedhigh-strunghighly emotionalhyperesthetichyperpathichypersensitiveimpatientimperativeimpressivein a ditherin a puckerin a stewin a sweatin a tizzyin fearincisiveinflammableinsecureintenseirascibleirritableitchyjitteryjumpymettlesomemisgivingmordantmousynervalnerves on edgenervy
Noun(2 words)
feeling anxiousfidgeting
Adjective(14 words)
flightyflutterygeneralized anxietyhectichigh anxietyhigh-strungitalian nervosoitalian tensionejitterierjitteriestjumpierjumpiestmumbling tonenerve related
Related words (134)
neuralneurologicalneuroticon edgeon tenterhooksoveranxiousoverapprehensiveoverrefinedoversensibleoversensitiveoverstrungovertenderoverwroughtpanic-strickenpanickypassiblepenetratingperturbableperturbedpiercing
Show 75 more words
poignantpowerfulpricklypunchyquerulousrabbityrefinedresponsiverestlessruffledscaredscaryself-conscioussensationalsensitiveshakenshaken upshakyshiveryshrinkingshysinewedsinewysinkingskitteryskittishslashingsnappishsolicitousspookystartlishstirred upstrainedstrikingstrongstrung outsupersensitivesuspensefulsympathetictactfultellingtendertensetetchythin skinnedthin-skinnedticklishtimidtimoroustouchytremblingtremuloustrenchanttrepidanttrigger happytrigger-happytroubledtroublousturbulenttwitteryuneasyunpeacefulunquietunrestfulupsetuptightvigorousvitalvolatilevolcanicwaspishworked upworriedwrought upzealous
Adjective(17 words)
Adjective(14 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: anxious, neural, uneasy, acid, aflutter.
- anxious: 'Anxious' is deeper and more persistent, nervousness passes when the event does, but anxiety can hum in the background for days.
- Sentence evidence is available for nervous, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "nervous".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "nervous"
Keep "nervous" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "nervous" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "nervous", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "nervous" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
How these synonyms differ
- anxious - 'Anxious' is deeper and more persistent, nervousness passes when the event does, but anxiety can hum in the background for days.
- apprehensive - 'Apprehensive' is more intellectual, you've thought through what could go wrong and the worry has settled in calmly rather than frantically.
- jittery - 'Jittery' emphasizes the body, shaky hands, restless legs, too much adrenaline. It's nervousness you can see.
- tense - 'Tense' describes the physical state, muscles tight, jaw clenched, without necessarily implying the mental racing that 'nervous' carries.
- uneasy - 'Uneasy' is subtler, a nagging sense that something isn't right, without the jittery physical symptoms of nervousness.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
3 entriesanatomical descriptoremotional expressionemotional state
More specific
5 entriesCollocations
5 entriesnervous breakdownnervous energynervous patientnervous systemnervous tension
Inflections
2 entriesmore nervousmost nervous
Derivations
2 entriessimilar
4 entriesTranslations
30 translations across 28 languages.
Armenian
1 entries- նյարդային adj (relating to the nerves)
Asturian
1 entries- nerviosu adj (relating to the nerves)
Bulgarian
2 entries- на нервите adj (relating to the nerves)
- не́рвен adj (relating to the nerves)
Catalan
1 entries- nerviós adj (relating to the nerves)
Czech
1 entries- nervový adj (relating to the nerves)
Danish
1 entries- nerve- adj (relating to the nerves)
Esperanto
1 entries- nerva adj (relating to the nerves)
Finnish
1 entries- hermo- adj (relating to the nerves)
French
1 entries- nerveux adj (relating to the nerves)
Galician
1 entries- nervioso adj (relating to the nerves)
Hungarian
2 entries- ideg- adj (relating to the nerves)
- idegi adj (relating to the nerves)
Irish
1 entries- néarógach adj (relating to the nerves)
Italian
1 entries- nervoso adj (relating to the nerves)
Japanese
1 entries- 神経の adj (relating to the nerves)
Macedonian
1 entries- не́рвен adj (relating to the nerves)
Middle English
1 entries- nervous adj (relating to the nerves)
Norman
1 entries- nèrveux adj (relating to the nerves)
Northern Kurdish
1 entries- agirnok adj (relating to the nerves)
Polish
1 entries- nerwowy adj (relating to the nerves)
Portuguese
1 entries- nervoso adj (relating to the nerves)
Romanian
1 entries- nervos adj (relating to the nerves)
Russian
1 entries- не́рвный adj (relating to the nerves)
Slovak
1 entries- nervový adj (relating to the nerves)
Slovene
1 entries- živčen adj (relating to the nerves)
Spanish
1 entries- nervioso adj (relating to the nerves)
Turkish
1 entries- sinirsel adj (relating to the nerves)
Ukrainian
1 entries- нерво́вий adj (relating to the nerves)
Welsh
1 entries- nerfol adj (relating to the nerves)
Sample sentences
22 total sentences available.
She is on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
Source: tatoeba (2183)
The recent frequency of earthquakes makes us nervous.
Source: tatoeba (18689)
If people who smoke are deprived of their cigarettes, they get nervous and irritable.
Source: tatoeba (19925)
Showing 4 of 22 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "nervous"?
Closest matches include anxious, neural, uneasy, acid, aflutter.
How is "anxious" different from "nervous"?
'Anxious' is deeper and more persistent, nervousness passes when the event does, but anxiety can hum in the background for days.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "nervous"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.