ner‧vous S3 W3 / nɜvəs $ nɜr- / 形容词
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 ) .
3 [仅用于名词前] 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 副词 :
She smiled nervously.
— nervousness 名词 [不可数名词] :
Mike’s nervousness showed in his voice.
COLLOCATIONS
动词
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.
副词
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.
名词
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.
短语
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.