Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Topic: BIOLOGY

nervous

 adjective
     
ner‧vous S3 W3
1 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).
3HBMP [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

MP 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.
WORD CHOICE: WORD CHOICE:

nervous, anxious, annoyed, irritated If you are nervous, you cannot relax because you are worried about something that you have to do • I was nervous about my job interview. • He sounded really nervous when he first started speaking. If you are anxious, you are very worried about something that may happen or may have happened, over which you feel you have no control • When she didn't come home from school her parents began to get anxious. Do not use nervous to talk about angry feelings. Use annoyed or irritated. If you are annoyed, you feel slightly angry with someone because of what they have done • I was annoyed that he kept me waiting. If you are irritated, you are made slightly angry by something that keeps happening • Irritated by their giggling, he told them to be quiet.!! If someone is irritating you, you can say that they get on your nerves (NOT 'on your nervous') • His fidgeting is getting on my nerves.
Definition of nervous from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English within
the topic BIOLOGY
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