- anxious about something or afraid of something
- I felt really nervous before the interview.
- I get so nervous before exams.
- I was too nervous to say anything.
- nervous about something Consumers are very nervous about the future.
- nervous of somebody/something The horse may be nervous of cars.
- nervous about/of doing something He had been nervous about inviting us.
- a nervous laugh/glance/smile (= one that shows that you feel anxious)
- By the time the police arrived, I was a nervous wreck.
Synonyms worriedworriedconcerned ▪ nervous ▪ anxious ▪ uneasyThese words all describe feeling unhappy and afraid because you are thinking about unpleasant things that might happen or might have happened.worried thinking about unpleasant things that might happen or might have happened and therefore feeling unhappy and afraidconcerned worried and feeling concern about something worried or concerned?Concerned is usually used when you are talking about a problem that affects another person, society, the world, etc., while worried can be used for this or for more personal matters.nervous feeling worried about something or slightly afraid of somethinganxious feeling worried or nervous about something worried, nervous or anxious?Worried is the most frequent word to describe how you feel when you are thinking about a problem or something bad that might happen. Anxious can describe a stronger feeling and is more formal. Nervous is more often used to describe how you feel before you do something very important such as an exam or an interview, or something unpleasant or difficult. Nervous can describe somebody’s personality: a very nervous girl is often or usually nervous; a worried girl is worried on a particular occasion or about a particular thing. Worried describes her feelings, not her personality. Anxious may describe feelings or personality.uneasy feeling worried or unhappy about a particular situation, especially because you think something bad may happen or because you are not sure that what you are doing is rightPatterns- worried/concerned/nervous/anxious/uneasy about (doing) something
- worried/concerned/anxious for somebody/something
- worried/concerned/nervous/anxious that…
- a(n) worried/concerned/nervous/anxious/uneasy expression/look/smile
- to get worried/nervous/anxious
Extra ExamplesTopics Feelingsa2- I was so nervous I almost fainted.
- He had worked himself up into a highly nervous state.
- I was slightly nervous of him.
- Sit down—you're making me nervous!
- nervous about the wedding
- I must admit that I was a bit nervous at first.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- appear
- be
- feel
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- about
- at
- of
- …
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- easily worried or frightened
- She was a thin, nervous girl.
- He's not the nervous type.
- She was of a nervous disposition.
Synonyms nervousnervousneurotic ▪ on edge ▪ jitteryThese words all describe people who are easily frightened or are behaving in a frightened way.nervous easily worried or frightened:Topics Personal qualitiesb1- He was of a nervous disposition.
- She became neurotic about keeping the house clean.
- She was always on edge before an interview.
- All this talk of job losses was making him jittery.
- a nervous/neurotic man/woman/girl
- to feel nervous/on edge/jittery
- a bit nervous/on edge/jittery
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- appear
- be
- feel
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- about
- at
- of
- …
- 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.
- There is danger of her going into nervous shock.
- He was full of nervous energy, like a racehorse who hadn't run in a while.
Word Originlate 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 (1) and (2) date from the mid 18th cent.
Idioms
See nervous in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee nervous in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishbe frightened/nervous/scared of your own shadow
- to be very easily frightened; to be very nervousTopics Feelingsc2
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nervous