With so many people around he naturally became a bit nervous.
Source: tatoeba (1554)
Nervous
//ˈnɜːvəs//
Synonyms for "nervous" (228 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (46)
Strong matches (68)
emotionally unstableempatheticempathiceruptiveexcitableexcitedexplosivefearfulfearingfearsomefeverishfidgetyflurriedflusteredforcefulforcibleforebodingfranticfretfulfrightened
Show 38 more words
gingerlygooseygoosygutsyhigh spiritedhigh strunghigh-mettledhigh-spiritedhigh-strunghighly emotionalhyperesthetichyperpathichypersensitiveimpatientimperativeimpressivein a ditherin a puckerin a stewin a sweatin a tizzyin fearincisiveinflammableinsecureintenseirascibleirritableitchyjitteryjumpymettlesomemisgivingmordantmousynervalnerves on edgenervy
Adjective(9 words)
Adjective(1 words)
Related words (114)
neuralneurologicalneuroticon edgeon tenterhooksoveranxiousoverapprehensiveoverrefinedoversensibleoversensitiveoverstrungovertenderoverwroughtpanic-strickenpanickypassiblepenetratingperturbableperturbedpiercing
Show 74 more words
poignantpowerfulpricklypunchyqueasyquerulousrabbityrefinedresponsiverestlessruffledscaredscaryself-conscioussensationalsensitiveshakenshaken upshakyshiveryshrinkingshysinewedsinewysinkingskitteryslashingsnappishsolicitousspookystartlishstirred upstrainedstrikingstrongstrung outsupersensitivesuspensefulsympathetictactfultellingtendertetchythin skinnedthin-skinnedticklishtimidtimoroustouchytremblingtremuloustrenchanttrepidanttrigger happytrigger-happytroubledtroublousturbulenttwitteryuneasyunpeacefulunquietunrestfulupsetuptightvigorousvitalvolatilevolcanicwaspishworked upworriedwrought upzealous
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
2 entriesMore specific
6 entriesSynonyms
3 entriesRelated terms
12 entriesderived
37 entriesas nervous as a witchautonomic nervous systemcentral nervous systemelectronervousenteric nervous systeminternervousnervcitednervicitednervitednervous Purvisnervous as a catnervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairsnervous as a whore in churchnervous breakdownnervous energynervous hit
Showing 16 of 37 words.
related to
15 entriessimilar
5 entriesTranslations
129 translations across 49 languages.
Ainu
1 entries- ホタㇱヌ adj (apprehensive, anxious)
Arabic
1 entries- عَصَبِيّ adj (apprehensive, anxious)
Armenian
4 entries- նյարդային adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- նյարդային adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- նյարդային adj (relating to the nerves)
- ջղագրգիռ adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
Asturian
2 entries- nerviosu adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- nerviosu adj (relating to the nerves)
Azerbaijani
1 entries- həyəcanlı adj (apprehensive, anxious)
Bulgarian
4 entries- на нервите adj (relating to the nerves)
- не́рвен adj (relating to the nerves)
- нервен adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- нервен adj (apprehensive, anxious)
Catalan
3 entries- nerviós adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- nerviós adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- nerviós adj (relating to the nerves)
Chinese Cantonese
1 entries- 緊張 /紧张 adj (apprehensive, anxious)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 緊張 /紧张 adj (apprehensive, anxious)
Czech
2 entries- nervový adj (relating to the nerves)
- nervózní adj (apprehensive, anxious)
Danish
4 entries- nerve adj (relating to the nerves)
- nervesvag adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- nervøs adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- nervøs adj (apprehensive, anxious)
Dutch
3 entries- gespannen adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- nerveus adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- nerveus adj (apprehensive, anxious)
Esperanto
3 entries- angora adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- nerva adj (relating to the nerves)
- nervoza adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
Estonian
1 entries- kärsitu adj (apprehensive, anxious)
Finnish
3 entries- hermo adj (relating to the nerves)
- hermostunut adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- hermostunut adj (apprehensive, anxious)
French
3 entries- nerveux adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- nerveux adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- nerveux adj (relating to the nerves)
Galician
3 entries- nervioso adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- nervioso adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- nervioso adj (relating to the nerves)
German
1 entries- nervös adj (apprehensive, anxious)
Greek
2 entries- αγχωμένος adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- νευρικός adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
Hungarian
4 entries- aggódik adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- feszült adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- ideg adj (relating to the nerves)
- ideges adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
Icelandic
2 entries- flóttalegur adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- taugatrekktur adj (apprehensive, anxious)
Irish
4 entries- faiteach adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- imníoch adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- neirbhíseach adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- néarógach adj (relating to the nerves)
Italian
3 entries- nervoso adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- nervoso adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- nervoso adj (relating to the nerves)
Japanese
2 entries- そわそわ adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- 神経の adj (relating to the nerves)
Khmer
1 entries- តប់ប្រមល់ adj (apprehensive, anxious)
Korean
1 entries- 흥분된 adj (apprehensive, anxious)
Ladino
1 entries- inyervozo adj (apprehensive, anxious)
Latin
1 entries- trepidus adj (apprehensive, anxious)
Macedonian
4 entries- не́рвен adj (relating to the nerves)
- не́рвозен adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- не́рвозен adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- ра́здразлив adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
Middle English
1 entries- nervous adj (relating to the nerves)
Māori
4 entries- manaka adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- mānakanaka adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- ngakau taiatea adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- pūohorere adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
Norman
3 entries- nèrveux adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- nèrveux adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- nèrveux adj (relating to the nerves)
Northern Kurdish
1 entries- agirnok adj (relating to the nerves)
Norwegian Bokmål
2 entries- nervøs adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- nervøs adj (apprehensive, anxious)
Norwegian Nynorsk
2 entries- nervøs adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- nervøs adj (apprehensive, anxious)
Polish
3 entries- nerwowy adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- nerwowy adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- nerwowy adj (relating to the nerves)
Portuguese
3 entries- nervoso adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- nervoso adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- nervoso adj (relating to the nerves)
Romanian
4 entries- emoționat adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- nervos adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- nervos adj (relating to the nerves)
- nerăbdător adj (apprehensive, anxious)
Russian
3 entries- не́рвный adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- не́рвный adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- не́рвный adj (relating to the nerves)
Scottish Gaelic
2 entries- nearbhach adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- nearbhach adj (apprehensive, anxious)
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- nervozan adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- nervozan adj (apprehensive, anxious)
Slovak
3 entries- nervový adj (relating to the nerves)
- nervózny adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- nervózny adj (apprehensive, anxious)
Slovene
2 entries- živčen adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- živčen adj (relating to the nerves)
Spanish
3 entries- nervioso adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- nervioso adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- nervioso adj (relating to the nerves)
Swedish
2 entries- nervös adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- nervös adj (apprehensive, anxious)
Turkish
3 entries- endişeli adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- gergin adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- sinirsel adj (relating to the nerves)
Ukrainian
3 entries- нерво́вий adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- нерво́вий adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- нерво́вий adj (relating to the nerves)
Vietnamese
1 entries- hồi hộp adj (apprehensive, anxious)
Welsh
4 entries- cynhyrfus adj (easily agitated or alarmed)
- nerfol adj (relating to the nerves)
- nerfus adj (apprehensive, anxious)
- pryderus adj (apprehensive, anxious)
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.
Keep exploring
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.