nervy.

1. Tense, easily upset, or on edge.

2. Bold in taking liberties, often to an impudent or unwelcome degree.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• nervy mood
• nervy performance
• feel nervy

On the page

She felt nervy before the announcement.

His nervy performance settled once the audience responded.

A nervy silence followed the unexpected question.

Usage notes

Primary category: fear. Forms: Comparative nervier; superlative nerviest. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.