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)
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.