NERVOUS Synonyms: 145 Similar and Opposite Words

nervous

adjective

ˈnər-vəs

as in worried

feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty he was nervous about how he would do at the varsity basketball tryouts

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in uneasy

marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings a nervous silence filled the room as the teacher handed out the graded exams

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in excitable

easily excited by nature a nervous sort of person, she's completely thrown by anything unexpected

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective nervous contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of nervous are energetic, lusty, strenuous, and vigorous. While all these words mean "having or showing great vitality and force," nervous suggests especially the forcibleness and sustained effectiveness resulting from mental vigor.

full of nervous energy

When is energetic a more appropriate choice than nervous?

Although the words energetic and nervous have much in common, energetic suggests a capacity for intense activity.

an energetic campaigner

When might lusty be a better fit than nervous?

While in some cases nearly identical to nervous, lusty implies exuberant energy and capacity for enjoyment.

a lusty appetite for life

When is it sensible to use strenuous instead of nervous?

While the synonyms strenuous and nervous are close in meaning, strenuous suggests a preference for coping with the arduous or the challenging.

the strenuous life on an oil rig

When can vigorous be used instead of nervous?

The meanings of vigorous and nervous largely overlap; however, vigorous further implies showing no signs of depletion or diminishing of freshness or robustness.

as vigorous as a youth half his age

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of nervous In the cabin, there was nervous laughter when the plane encountered turbulence. —

Benjamin Malapris, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025 Overall, Canadians are pessimistic about the state of the economy and nervous about the impact Trump’s incoming administration might have on it, according to Bloomberg/Nanos Research. —

Laura Kelly, The Hill, 6 Jan. 2025 The man who appears in her cozy home is reserved and nervous (he’s played by H. Jon Benjamin, offering the rare and welcome dramatic turn for the comedian and voice actor). —

Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 1 Jan. 2025 There was a nervous wait before David broke the news that Ten Hag was being kept on and then Laurie and Adam launched their big read with some remarkable details of the talks the club had held with other managers before deciding to stick with Ten Hag. —

The Athletic Uk Staff, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for nervous

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nervous

Adjective

Few folks are worried about how the yard looks, but Travis Hogan has a keen interest in green grass in January.

Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 13 Jan. 2025
But the more time Zuckerberg spends in Mar-a-Lago, the more Sam Altman and Tim Cook should be worried.

Alex Heath, The Verge, 12 Jan. 2025