nervous

nervous
ner‧vous S3 W3 /ˈnɜːvəs $ ˈnɜːr-/ adjective1. worried or frightened about something, and unable to relax ⇨ anxious
    nervous about
    She was so nervous about her exams that she couldn’t sleep.
    I wish you’d stop looking at me like that. You’re making me nervous.
    feel/get nervous
    Paul always gets nervous whenever he has to give a presentation.
    nervous smile/laugh/look/glance
    ‘Don’t be silly,’ she said with a nervous laugh. ‘There’s no such thing as ghosts.’
    By the time I got into the interview I was a nervous wreck (=was extremely nervous).
    nervous of
    We were all a bit nervous of him at first (=frightened of him).
2. often becoming worried or frightened, and easily upset:
    She’s a nervous, sensitive child.
    The film is unsuitable for people of a nervous disposition (=who are easily frightened).
3. [only before noun] related to the nerves in your body
    nervous condition/illness/disorder
    She was suffering from a nervous condition.
    He had a nervous twitch (=his body made small uncontrolled movements).
4. nervous exhaustion/strain a mental condition in which you feel very tired, usually caused by working too hard or by a difficult emotional problem
—nervously adverb:
    She smiled nervously.
—nervousness noun [uncountable]:
    Mike’s nervousness showed in his voice.
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ verbs
   ▪ feel nervous He looked at her for so long that she began to feel nervous.
   ▪ get/become nervous Everyone gets nervous before a big game.
   ▪ seem/appear nervous She seemed nervous at first, but her presentation was good.
   ▪ look/sound nervous He sounded nervous and uncertain.
   ▪ make somebody nervous Being alone in the house made her nervous.
■ adverbs
   ▪ slightly nervous Looking slightly nervous, Paul began to speak.
   ▪ a little/a bit nervous I was a little nervous before the interview.
   ▪ extremely nervous The policeman noticed that the driver seemed extremely nervous.
■ nouns
   ▪ a nervous smile/laugh/giggle ‘It doesn’t matter,’ she said, with a nervous smile.
   ▪ nervous laughter His comment was met with nervous laughter.
   ▪ a nervous look/glance Lucy swallowed as she sent him a nervous glance.
   ▪ nervous tension (=a feeling of being very tense and nervous) It was the play’s opening night, and Gloria was in a state of nervous tension.
■ phrases
   ▪ be a nervous wreck (=be so nervous or worried that you cannot deal with a situation) By the end of the rehearsal I was a nervous wreck.
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ nervous worried or a little frightened about something and unable to relax: Kelly was so nervous about her exam that she couldn’t sleep. | It makes me nervous when you drive that fast.
   ▪ tense worried and unable to relax in a way that makes you get angry or upset easily: Mary’s problems at work were making her tense and irritable.
   ▪ uneasy nervous because you feel that something bad might happen, so that you are unable to relax until the danger has passed: I began to feel uneasy when he still hadn’t phoned by 11 o'clock.
   ▪ on edge if you are on edge or your nerves are on edge, you feel nervous because you are worried about what might happen: My nerves were on edge, waiting for the results of the test. | Redundancies and other work upheavals have put employees on edge.
   ▪ neurotic nervous and anxious in a way that is not normal or reasonable: She’s completely neurotic about food hygiene. | a neurotic mother
   ▪ edgy/jumpy/jittery nervous because you are worried about what might happen: Investors are a little edgy about the financial markets these days. | There was a lot of pressure on the team tonight and that’s why they were a little jumpy.
   ▪ highly-strung British English, high-strung American English becoming nervous or upset easily because that is your character: Like many musicians, he’s very sensitive and highly-strung.
   ▪ be a nervous wreck to feel extremely nervous and unable to relax: After 10 months of teaching, I was a total nervous wreck.
   ▪ have butterflies (in your stomach) informal to feel nervous about something that you are going to do very soon because it is important and you want to do it well: Actors often have butterflies before going on stage.