unnerved 1 of 2

adjective

1
as in unstrung

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in powerless

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

unnerved

2 of 2

verb

past tense of unnerve
1
as in paralyzed
to deprive of courage or confidence the riding accident so unnerved me that for a while I was afraid to get back on a horse

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in discouraged
to lessen the courage or confidence of a figure skater can't afford to be unnerved by an occasional slipup

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unnerved
Adjective
Have these tumultuous real-world consequences unnerved Roberts? — Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 The resultant sonic boom shock waves frequently shattered windows, cracked building walls, and unnerved citizens within earshot. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 1 July 2026 The China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station, the Navy’s largest base for developing and testing weapons of warfare, suffered billions of dollars in damage, and the fact that the second quake was scarier than the first unnerved many Californians. — Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026 David Rubenstein, the son of a Baltimore postal worker, was frustrated in a Washington law firm when he was both inspired by a wildly successful leveraged buyout and unnerved by a book that claimed the odds of successfully starting a company plummets after 37. — Diane Brady, Fortune, 24 June 2026 At England’s training on Sunday, British reporters admitted to being unnerved. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 15 June 2026 But civil libertarians are unnerved about casting such a wide dragnet that captures highly personal information from hundreds or perhaps thousands of people who aren’t criminals. — Bart Jansen, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2026 Vice Mayor Ben Sorensen, unnerved by talk of statewide property tax reform and a looming multiyear budget deficit, is now having second thoughts about committing all that money to a futuristic City Hall. — Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 14 Apr. 2026 McIlroy never seemed unnerved by the pressure of following the supernova that was Woods. — Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2026
Verb
The earthquakes left many in the Andean nation unnerved after two back-to-back quakes devastated neighboring Venezuela in late June, destroying hundreds of buildings and killing more than 6,300 people. — ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026 Trump’s recent clashes with Pope Leo XIV over the Iran war have also unnerved some young conservatives. — Charlie Sabgir, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026 Perhaps coincidentally, OpenAI is considering delaying its IPO, The New York Times reported, with executives unnerved by SpaceX’s volatile debut and stock-market choppiness. — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 26 June 2026 The baby boomer bank leader took to LinkedIn to admit that his words had unnerved some of his coworkers. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 26 May 2026 Even counting flaws that come with the system and his decisions that have unnerved some China watchers, however, time is on Xi’s side. — Steven Jiang, CNN Money, 13 May 2026 Larsen and other entrepreneurs, unnerved by the election of democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani in New York and increasing calls across the US for taxes on wealth, fear that the measure could undo efforts to make San Francisco more business-friendly. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2026 The Fed targets a 2% inflation rate, and officials will likely be unnerved by a steady increase. — Christopher Rugaber, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026 But their existence is an open secret, and the Iranian missile’s coming so close to the facility will have unnerved some. — Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 23 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unnerved
  1. unstrung
  2. powerless
  3. paralyzed
  4. discouraged
  5. exhausted
  6. emasculated
  7. frightened
  8. frustrated
Adjective
  • Foster gives a taut performance despite the unstrung absurdities of the plot.
    — Hilton Als, New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2026
  • When the Premier Lacrosse League’s Boston Cannons opened training camp back in May with unstrung lacrosse stick heads, players knew who to ask for an assist.
    — Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Definition of unstrung
Adjective
  • And Aparna Nancherla warms up the ice-cold cast of characters as Matt and Jake’s sympathetic but powerless buddy in HR.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Cold comfort for Gaza’s two million residents, who remain shut out of the conversation and all but powerless to determine their fate.
    — Andrew Carey, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of powerless
Verb
  • According to Reuters, the ongoing war has paralyzed a fifth of the global oil trade, causing gas prices in the United States to shoot up.
    — Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 17 Aug. 2026
  • In March, a cyberattack briefly paralyzed municipal systems and prompted an emergency declaration in Foster City, a Bay Area suburb of 32,000 people.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of paralyzed
Verb
  • Employees leave these conversations confused, discouraged and wondering why concerns were never addressed before the formal review process.
    — Lauren Russell, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Some have also argued that concerns about being perceived as racist discouraged earlier scrutiny of the allegations.
    — Inaya Folarin Iman, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of discouraged
Adjective
  • Even Musk, despite his vow to take a chainsaw to the bureaucracy, seemed exhausted by the vastness of what his Department of Government Efficiency had taken on, and abandoned DOGE over a year earlier than planned.
    — Jennifer Pahlka, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Create healthy boundaries around activities that might leave you feeling depleted or exhausted, such as unnecessary social media scrolling.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of exhausted
Adjective
  • And that’s the main tension this season, as Beau is feeling emasculated by the dynamic.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 30 July 2026
  • By contrast, Gercke’s emasculated George speaks in the monotonous style of a man worn down by life.
    — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
Definition of emasculated
Verb
  • But what frightened me most was not death alone, but the idea of dying before my writings reached the world—that my story would disappear with me, and that my feelings, my memories, my identity, and my human experience would be erased.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Before signing off, the teenager thanks her — the exchange calmed her down after Google search results frightened her.
    — Jennifer Karlin, STAT, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of frightened
Verb
  • Something has to give As Big Oil cashes in on the supply disruptions, Main Street is increasingly frustrated by high prices.
    — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
  • American voters are already frustrated with the high cost of living.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of frustrated

Browse Nearby Words

unnerve
unnerved
unnerves
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unnerved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unnerved. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on unnerved

Nglish: Translation of unnerved for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of balmy

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All