Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

nervous

/ˈnɝvəs/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.42 in modern English

Syllables
nerv-ous
IPA
/ˈnɝvəs/
10
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Of sinews and tendons.

Obsolete

adj

Of sinews and tendons.

Obsolete

adj

Of sinews and tendons.

Obsolete

adj

Of nerves.

adj

Of nerves.

adj

Of nerves.

Obsolete

adj

Of nerves.

adj

Of nerves.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English nervous (“composed of or incorporating nerves”), from Latin nervōsus (“nervous; sinewy; energetic, vigorous”), from nervus (“nerve; muscle; sinew, tendon; (figuratively) energy, power; nerve; force, strength, vigour”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *snéh₁wr̥ (“sinew, tendon”)) + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of, prone to’ forming adjectives from nouns). The English word is analysable as nerve + -ous.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈnɝvəs/
  • British English: /ˈnɜːvəs/

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Medicine.

Inflected Forms

more nervous (comparative) nervouser (comparative, nonstandard) most nervous (superlative) nervousest (nonstandard, superlative)

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Antonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce nervous?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈnɝvəs/.
What does nervous mean?
Of sinews and tendons.
Where does nervous come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce nervous

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “nervous”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈnɝvəs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “nervous”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “nervous” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.