/ ˈnɜːvəs; NAmE ˈnɜːrvəs/ adjective
1.
nervous (about / of sth) anxious about sth or afraid of sth :
Consumers are very nervous about the future.
He had been nervous about inviting us.
The horse may be nervous of cars.
I felt really nervous before the interview.
a nervous glance / smile / voice (= one that shows that you feel anxious)
By the time the police arrived, I was a nervous wreck .
OPP confident ➡ note at worried
2.
easily worried or frightened :
She was a thin, nervous girl.
He's not the nervous type.
She was of a nervous disposition .
3.
connected with the body's nerves and often affecting you mentally or emotionally :
a nervous condition / disorder / disease
She was in a state of nervous exhaustion .
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IDIOMS
see shadow noun
► ner·vous·ly adverb :
She smiled nervously.
► ner·vous·ness noun [ U ]:
He tried to hide his nervousness.
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SYNONYMS
nervous
neurotic ♦ edgy ♦ on edge ♦ jittery ♦ nervy ♦ highly strung
All these words describe people who are easily frightened or are behaving in a frightened way.
nervous
easily worried or frightened:
She was of a nervous disposition .
NOTE
See also the entry for worried .
neurotic
not behaving in a reasonable, calm way, because you are worried about sth:
She became neurotic about keeping the house clean.
edgy
( informal ) nervous or bad-tempered:
He became edgy and defensive.
on edge
nervous or bad-tempered:
She was always on edge before an interview.
edgy or on edge?
Both these words mean the same, but edgy can also describe a time or an event:
It was an edgy match with with both players making mistakes.
On edge can also describe sb's nerves :
His nerves had been on edge (= he had been nervous or bad-tempered) all day.
jittery
( informal ) anxious and nervous:
All this talk of job losses was making him jittery.
nervy
( BrE informal ) anxious and nervous; easily made nervous:
She was weepy and nervy, anxious about her baby.
highly strung / high-strung
nervous and easily upset:
a highly strung child / horse
PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS :
She's a rather nervous / neurotic / nervy girl .
He's not the nervous / neurotic / nervy type .
I'm feeling very / a bit / really nervous / edgy / on edge / jittery today.
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (in the senses containing nerves and relating to the nerves ): from Latin nervosus sinewy, vigorous, from nervus sinew; related to Greek neuron nerve. Senses 1and 2 dates from the mid 18th cent.