nervous

adjective

Easily agitated or alarmed; edgy, on edge.

Apprehensive, anxious, hesitant, worried.

Affecting or involving the nerves or nervous system.

Supplied with nerves; innervated.

Of nerves.

Of sinews and tendons.

(obsolete) Full of sinews.

(obsolete) Having strong or prominent sinews; sinewy, muscular.

(obsolete) Of a piece of writing, literary style etc.: forceful, powerful.

(botany, obsolete) Nervose.

Roots

nervusnerv- · Latin · sinew, nerve

Words related to nervous

queasyadj aflutteradj nervesn antsyadj unnervedadj nervousnessn jumpinessn twitchyadj nervine overexcitedadj jittersn nervouslyadv nervinessn panickedadj neuropath panickingv overexcitableadj jitterinessn fidgetinessn

Synonyms & related words for nervous

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of nervous — including anxious, skittish, uneasy, jittery, jumpy, unquiet. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to nervous

Explore words related to nervous — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include queasy, aflutter, nerves, antsy, unnerved, nervousness, jumpiness, twitchy. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for nervous

Common synonyms for nervous include anxious, skittish, uneasy, jittery, jumpy, unquiet, overstrung, neural — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does nervous come from?

The word nervous breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root nerv-, from Latin nervus (“sinew, nerve”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.