Synonyms

nervousness

American

[nur-vuhs-nis] / ˈnɜr vəs nɪs /

noun

the state or condition of being highly, acutely, or unnaturally uneasy or excitable.

There is always an element of nervousness or stage fright in public speaking.
High levels of thyroid hormones can cause side effects such as weight loss, rapid heart rate, and nervousness.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of nervousness

nervous ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Explanation

Nervousness is a quality of feeling anxious, worried, or alarmed. Your nervousness about flying in an airplane for the first time shouldn't keep you from fulfilling your dream of traveling to Iceland! Nervousness takes many forms. What's thrilling to one person —skydiving, public speaking, hosting a party — makes others feel nervous down to their bones. Your dog's nervousness around loud city traffic might finally convince you to move to the country, while your brother might end up outgrowing his nervousness around animals and wind up becoming a vet someday. Nervousness can involve sweating and trembling, or it can be invisible to observers.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As the children of Windisch’s Gen X clients get older and gain more financial autonomy, she’s noticed they tend to have a sense of reluctance or nervousness around managing their money.

From MarketWatch • May 29, 2026

"And the feedback I've got for something that was quite tough to do and quite exposing, it's really settled any sort of feelings of nervousness around it."

From BBC • May 20, 2026

In generalized anxiety disorder, for example, people may worry excessively about ordinary events and struggle to control nervousness or fear.

From Science Daily • May 16, 2026

Despite strong results, L3Harris shares fell, reflecting investor nervousness about defense stocks and future spending.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

The pellets had been only momentarily painful, but the incident increased the young dog’s wary nervousness.

From "The Incredible Journey" by Sheila Burnford

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023