nervousness
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
nerv·ous
(nûr′vəs)adj.
1.
a. Of or relating to the nerves or nervous system: nervous tissue.
b. Stemming from or affecting the nerves or nervous system: a nervous disorder.
2. Easily agitated or distressed; high-strung or jumpy.
3. Marked by or having a feeling of unease or apprehension: nervous moments before takeoff.
4. Vigorous in style or feeling; spirited: "the nervous thrust of a modern creation" (Henry A. Kissinger).
5. Archaic Strong; sinewy.
[Middle English, sinewy, containing nerves, from Latin nervōsus, sinewy, from nervus, sinew; see nerve.]
nerv′ous·ly adv.
nerv′ous·ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Nervousness
See Also: ANXIETY, TENSION, TREMBLING
- All nervous and jerky like a windup toy or maybe a cockroach on its back, waving its legs and trying to turn over —George Garrett
- Clucked nervously, like a mongoose —Romain Gary
- Excitable … like a little rooster —Irwin Shaw
- (Sat there open-mouthed,) feeling the nerves of his body twitter like so many sparrows perched upon his spinal column —F.Scott Fitzgerald
- Felt as if she were on the edge of a frozen pond, forced to go forward and not knowing how thick the ice was —Donald MacKenzie
- Felt as if someone had taken a vegetable peeler to my nerves —T. Coraghessan Boyle
- His nerves set themselves on edge like soured teeth —H. E. Bates
- His stomach felt like a volcano about to erupt —Andrew Kaplan
- It’s (persistent feeling of impending insanity) like my head’s in a vice and all the assholes of the world are turning the goddam handle —Thomas Williams
- Jumpy as a goat —James Thurber
- Jumpy as a greyhound —Wallace Stegner
- Jumpy as a jumping bean —Anon
- Lived like an exposed nerve —Rita Mae Brown
- Looked … like a nervous rabbit nibbling the smell of a gun barrel —Paul Theroux
- Nerves burned like open sores on a dog’s neck —Hunter S. Thompson
- Nerves like a bundle of firecrackers —Amy Lowell
Lowell’s poem, Rosebud Wall-Paper, from which this is taken was written in country dialogue, with ‘of written as ‘o’.
- Nerves like new thread —John Updike
- Nerves tied in small, intricate knots, like embroidery stitching —Jean Thompson
- (In rapid motion, bright,) nervous as a butterfly —Marge Piercy
- Nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof —Anon
In a television interview playwright Tennessee Williams stated that his father always used this phrase which became the title for one of his best known plays. It also served as a line for one of the leading characters, Maggie. During the interview Williams credited this and many other colorful phrases to Southern Blacks.
- Nervous as a coyote in a pen —W. P. Kinsella
- Nervous as a dog with a bone —Ben Hecht
- Nervous as a hamster —Reynolds Price
- Nervous as a kitten with a duck for a foster mother —Victor Canning
- Nervous as a whore in church —American colloquialism
- Nervous as a will o’-the-wisp —F. Scott Fitzgerald
- On edge, like some restless night —Yasunari Kawabata
- (They felt everything, feared everything, started back at the snapping of a twig, all their) senses strained like those of nervous explorers cautiously advancing, hand on cocked trigger, into an unknown jungle —Dorothy Canfield Fisher
- Shuddering and wary, like horses bewildered by lightning —Ted Hughes
Hughes’ poem, A Wind Flashes the Grass, links the comparison of the wary horses to trees suddenly silent and motionless.
- White and shaken, like a dry martini —P. G. Wodehouse
- Wriggle nervously like captive fish —Margaret Millar
Similes Dictionary, 1st Edition. © 1988 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
Noun | 1. | nervousness - the anxious feeling you have when you have the jitters anxiety - a vague unpleasant emotion that is experienced in anticipation of some (usually ill-defined) misfortune |
2. | nervousness - an uneasy psychological state; "he suffered an attack of nerves" mental condition, mental state, psychological condition, psychological state - (psychology) a mental condition in which the qualities of a state are relatively constant even though the state itself may be dynamic; "a manic state" mental strain, nervous strain, strain - (psychology) nervousness resulting from mental stress; "his responsibilities were a constant strain"; "the mental strain of staying alert hour after hour was too much for him" | |
3. | nervousness - a sensitive or highly strung temperament disposition, temperament - your usual mood; "he has a happy disposition" skittishness, restiveness - characterized by nervousness and quickness to take fright |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
nervousness
noun anxiety, stress, tension, strain, unease, disquiet, agitation, trepidation, timidity, excitability, perturbation, edginess, worry, jumpiness, antsiness (informal) I smiled in an attempt to hide my nervousness.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
nervousness
nounA troubled or anxious state of mind:
angst, anxiety, anxiousness, care, concern, disquiet, disquietude, distress, solicitude, unease, uneasiness, worry.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
عَصَبِيَّه
nervozita
nervøsitet
taugaveiklun
živčnost
oro
sinirlilik
nervousness
[ˈnɜːvəsnɪs] N (= apprehension, timidity) → nerviosismo m; (= fear) → miedo mhis nervousness of flying → su miedo a volar
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
nervousness
[ˈnɜːrvəsnɪs] n (= anxiety) → nervosité f
nervousness about sth → nervosité quant à qch
nervousness about the future → nervosité quant à l'avenir
There was nervousness in the White House about what might happen → La nervosité régnait à la Maison Blanche dans l'attente de ce qui allait bien pouvoir se passer.
nervousness about sth → nervosité quant à qch
nervousness about the future → nervosité quant à l'avenir
There was nervousness in the White House about what might happen → La nervosité régnait à la Maison Blanche dans l'attente de ce qui allait bien pouvoir se passer.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
nervousness
n → Ängstlichkeit f; (= edgy state) → Nervosität f; his nervousness about flying → seine Angst vor dem Fliegen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
nerve
(nəːv) noun1. one of the cords which carry messages between all parts of the body and the brain.
2. courage. He must have needed a lot of nerve to do that; He lost his nerve.
3. rudeness. What a nerve!
verb to force (oneself) to have enough courage (to do something). He nerved himself to climb the high tower.
nerves noun plural the condition of being too easily excited or upset. She suffers from nerves.
ˈnervous adjective1. of the nerves. the nervous system.
2. rather afraid. She was nervous about travelling by air; a nervous old lady.
ˈnervously adverbˈnervousness noun
ˈnervy adjective
excitable. The horse is rather nervy.
ˈnerviness nounˈnerve-racking adjective
causing great anxiety or nervousness. a nerve-racking experience.
nervous breakdown a period of mental illness caused by a time of great strain.
nervous system the brain, spinal cord and nerves of a person or animal.
get on someone's nerves to irritate someone. Her behaviour really gets on my nerves.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
ner·vous·ness
n. nerviosismo, nerviosidad.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
nervousness
n nerviosismoEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.