Categories: GeneralSynonyms

NERVOUS: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for NERVOUS?

Need another word that means the same as “nervous”? Find 43 synonyms and 30 related words for “nervous” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Nervous” are: flighty, skittish, spooky, neural, aflutter, anxious, queasy, uneasy, unquiet, edgy, tense, excitable, jumpy, brittle, neurotic, hysterical, worried, apprehensive, strained, stressed, agitated, in a state of nerves, in a state of agitation, restless, worked up, keyed up, overwrought, wrought up, strung out, fidgety, fearful, frightened, scared, like a cat on a hot tin roof, trembling, shaky, in a cold sweat, fevered, febrile, embarrassed, uncomfortable, ill at ease, neurological

Nervous as an Adjective

Definitions of "Nervous" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “nervous” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

  • Easily agitated or alarmed.
  • Relating to or affecting the nerves.
  • Unpredictably excitable (especially of horses.
  • Of or relating to the nervous system.
  • Easily agitated.
  • Anxious or apprehensive.
  • Causing or fraught with or showing anxiety.
  • Excited in anticipation.
  • (of a feeling or reaction) resulting from anxiety or anticipation.

Synonyms of "Nervous" as an adjective (43 Words)

aflutterExcited in anticipation.
He has the physique that could send a thousand female hearts aflutter.
agitatedTroubled emotionally and usually deeply.
Agitated parents.
anxiousVery eager or concerned to do something or for something to happen.
There were some anxious moments.
apprehensiveIn fear or dread of possible evil or harm.
Apprehensive of danger.
brittle(of a person’s voice) unpleasantly hard and sharp and showing signs of instability or nervousness.
Glass is brittle.
edgyBeing in a tense state.
Tremendously edgy brass playing.
embarrassedFeeling or caused to feel uneasy and self-conscious.
I felt quite embarrassed whenever I talked to her.
excitableResponding too readily to something new or stimulating; easily excited.
A rather excitable young man.
fearfulExperiencing or showing fear.
A fearful howling.
febrileHaving or showing the symptoms of a fever.
A febrile reaction caused by an allergen.
feveredHighly or nervously excited.
They mopped his fevered brow.
fidgetyNervous and unable to relax.
I get nervous and fidgety at the dentist.
flightyFickle and irresponsible.
Her mother was a flighty Southern belle.
frightenedMade afraid.
A frightened child.
hystericalCharacterized by or arising from psychoneurotic hysteria- Morris Fishbein.
Janet became hysterical and began screaming.
ill at easeAffected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function.
in a cold sweatDirected or bound inward.
in a state of agitationCurrently fashionable.
in a state of nervesDirected or bound inward.
jumpyCausing or characterized by jolts and irregular movements.
A jumpy pulse.
keyed upServing as an essential component.
like a cat on a hot tin roofHaving the same or similar characteristics.
neuralRelating to a nerve or the nervous system.
Neural disorder.
neurologicalRelating to the anatomy, functions, and organic disorders of nerves and the nervous system.
Neurological evidence.
neuroticCharacteristic of or affected by neurosis.
He seemed a neurotic self obsessed character.
overwrought(of a piece of writing or a work of art) too elaborate or complicated in design or construction.
She was too overwrought to listen to reason.
queasyCausing or fraught with or showing anxiety.
The queasy swell of the boat.
restlessLacking or not affording physical or mental rest.
The restless sea.
scaredMade afraid.
We re both scared of spiders.
shakyUnstable because of poor construction or heavy use.
After a shaky start the Scottish team made superb efforts.
skittish(of an animal, especially a horse) nervous or excitable; easily scared.
A skittish chestnut mare.
spookyUnpredictably excitable (especially of horses.
I bet this place is really spooky late at night.
strainedOf a mainly liquid substance having been strained to separate out any solid matter.
A constrained smile.
stressedStrengthened by the application of stress during manufacture prestressed.
He dropped out of the race clearly distressed and having difficulty breathing.
strung outThat is on a string.
tensePronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles e g the vowel sound in beat.
She tried to relax her tense muscles.
tremblingShaking or quivering, typically as a result of anxiety, excitement, or frailty.
Trembling hands.
uncomfortableCausing or feeling unease or awkwardness.
Grew uncomfortable beneath his appraising eye.
uneasy(of a situation or relationship) not settled; liable to change.
She fell into an uneasy sleep.
unquietUneasy; anxious.
Poor Amy s unquiet spirit.
worked upOut of bed.
worriedAfflicted with or marked by anxious uneasiness or trouble or grief.
He is worried that we are not sustaining high employment.
wrought upShaped to fit by or as if by altering the contours of a pliable mass (as by work or effort.

Usage Examples of "Nervous" as an adjective

  • A nervous disorder.
  • Nervous disease.
  • A nervous addict.
  • A nervous thoroughbred.
  • Nervous energy.
  • He's nervous of speaking in public.
  • Those nervous moments before takeoff.
  • A sensitive, nervous person.
  • Staying in the house on her own made her nervous.

Associations of "Nervous" (30 Words)

apprehensiveMentally upset over possible misfortune or danger etc.
Apprehensive for one s life.
defuseMake (a situation) less tense or dangerous.
Explosives specialists tried to defuse the grenade.
dejectionSolid excretory product evacuated from the bowels.
He was slumped in deep dejection.
excitabilityBeing easily excited.
flightyFickle and irresponsible.
Her mother was a flighty Southern belle.
fraughtMarked by distress.
There was a fraught silence.
fretfulNervous and unable to relax.
A constant fretful stamping of hooves.
harriedFeeling strained as a result of having demands persistently made on one; harassed.
Harried detectives answer ringing phones.
impatienceThe tendency to be impatient; irritability or restlessness.
He was shifting in his seat with impatience.
insecurityThe state of being subject to danger or injury.
She had a deep sense of insecurity.
irritabilityAn irritable petulant feeling.
Symptoms include insomnia and irritability.
nervouslyIn an anxiously nervous manner.
Kevin nervously glanced at his watch.
nervyCharacterized or produced by apprehension or uncertainty.
He was nervy and on edge.
paralyzeCause to be paralyzed and immobile.
The bureaucracy paralyzes the entire operation.
peevishHaving or showing an irritable disposition.
A thin peevish voice.
petulanceThe quality of being childishly sulky or bad-tempered.
A slight degree of petulance had crept into his voice.
preoccupiedHaving or showing excessive or compulsive concern with something.
She seemed a bit preoccupied.
querulousHabitually complaining.
She became querulous and demanding.
restlesslyIn a restless manner.
skittish(of a person) playfully frivolous or unpredictable.
My skittish and immature mother.
solicitousShowing hovering attentiveness.
Solicitous parents.
strainedOf a mainly liquid substance having been strained to separate out any solid matter.
There was a strained silence.
stressedStrengthened by the application of stress during manufacture prestressed.
Stressed concrete walls.
temperMake more temperate acceptable or suitable by adding something else.
Tempered steel pins.
tenseBecome tense nervous or uneasy.
She tried to relax her tense muscles.
troubledCharacterized by or indicative of distress or affliction or danger or need.
Troubled teenagers.
uneasyLacking a sense of security or affording no ease or reassurance.
She lived in a state of uneasy truce with her strict father.
uptightAnxious or angry in a tense and overly controlled way.
He is so uptight about everything.
volatilityTendency of a substance to evaporate at normal temperatures.
The volatility of the market drove many investors away.
worriedAfflicted with or marked by anxious uneasiness or trouble or grief.
A worried frown.
Alexei

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