100 Other Words for “Nervous”

No.	Term	Definition
1.	Agitated	Unable to stay calm.
2.	Alarmed	Suddenly worried or frightened.
3.	Anxious	Worried about what may happen.
4.	Apprehensive	Uneasy about the future.
5.	Aroused	Mentally stirred; on alert.
6.	Atwitter	In a flutter of excitement.
7.	Autonomic	Involuntary stress response active.
8.	Badly at ease	Uncomfortable in the situation.
9.	Bothered	Troubled; unable to relax.
10.	Breathless	Short of breath from anxiety.
11.	Careworn	Worn down by worry.
12.	Churning	Stomach turning with worry.
13.	Clenched	Tight with tension.
14.	Concerned	Worried about something.
15.	Cowed	Intimidated; lacking confidence.
16.	Cramped	Tightened by tension.
17.	Creeped out	Unsettled; mildly scared.
18.	Dismayed	Distressed and discouraged.
19.	Disquieted	Made uneasy; disturbed.
20.	Distracted	Unable to focus from worry.
21.	Distressed	Upset; under emotional strain.
22.	Edgy	Tense and irritable.
23.	Excitable	Easily stirred to emotion.
24.	Fainthearted	Lacking courage; timid.
25.	Fearful	Feeling afraid.
26.	Fidgety	Restless; unable to sit still.
27.	Flappable	Easily upset; easily rattled.
28.	Flustered	Confused and agitated.
29.	Foreboding	Sensing something bad ahead.
30.	Frantic	Wild with fear or worry.
31.	Freaked out	Suddenly very scared.
32.	Fretful	Worried and irritable.
33.	Full of jitters	Shaky with anxiety.
34.	Gasping	Breathing unevenly from panic.
35.	Haunted	Troubled by persistent fears.
36.	High-strung	Very tense and sensitive.
37.	Hot under collar	Angry or tense.
38.	Hyperalert	Overly watchful; on edge.
39.	Hypervigilant	Excessively watchful for threats.
40.	Ill at ease	Uncomfortable; uneasy.
41.	In a flap	Upset and agitated.
42.	In a flutter	Excitedly uneasy.
43.	In a stew	Worried and upset.
44.	Insecure	Lacking confidence; anxious.
45.	Intimidated	Made fearful by pressure.
46.	Irascible	Easily angered from tension.
47.	Jangled	Nerves strained and unsettled.
48.	Jittery	Shaky and uneasy.
49.	Jumping at shadows	Overreacting to imagined threats.
50.	Jumpish	Startled easily.
51.	Keyed up	Overstimulated; tense.
52.	Knotted up	Tight with worry.
53.	Labile	Emotionally unstable; easily upset.
54.	Leery	Wary and suspicious.
55.	Misgiving	Uneasy doubt or worry.
56.	Nail-biting	So tense it shows physically.
57.	Nauseated	Sickened by anxiety.
58.	Neurotic	Excessively anxious or obsessive.
59.	On edge	Tense; easily upset.
60.	On tenterhooks	In suspense; very anxious.
61.	Overwrought	Extremely upset and tense.
62.	Palpitating	Heart racing from anxiety.
63.	Panicky	Suddenly overwhelmed by fear.
64.	Perturbed	Disturbed; unsettled.
65.	Petrified	Paralyzed by fear.
66.	Phobic	Driven by intense fear.
67.	Piqued	Slightly irritated and tense.
68.	Pressured	Stressed by demands.
69.	Queasy	Slightly sick with worry.
70.	Quivering	Shaking from fear or stress.
71.	Racked	Tormented by worry.
72.	Rattled	Shaken; thrown off balance.
73.	Restive	Impatient and uneasy.
74.	Restless	Unable to relax or settle.
75.	Scared	Afraid; frightened.
76.	Self-conscious	Uncomfortably aware of oneself.
77.	Shaken	Deeply disturbed or upset.
78.	Shaky	Trembling from anxiety.
79.	Shell-shocked	Stunned and emotionally shaken.
80.	Shy	Timid in social situations.
81.	Skittish	Easily startled; jumpy.
82.	Slightly spooked	Mildly scared or uneasy.
83.	Sorely tried	Tested by stress.
84.	Spooked	Frightened or uneasy.
85.	Startled	Suddenly surprised and alarmed.
86.	Stressed	Under mental or emotional strain.
87.	Strung out	Worn down by stress.
88.	Sweaty-palmed	Anxious with physical tension.
89.	Tense	Tight and strained.
90.	Terrified	Extremely afraid.
91.	Timid	Shy; lacking confidence.
92.	Trembling	Shaking with fear or worry.
93.	Trepidatious	Fearful and hesitant.
94.	Troubled	Worried; distressed.
95.	Uncertain	Not sure; uneasy.
96.	Uneasy	Not comfortable; anxious.
97.	Unnerved	Made anxious or frightened.
98.	Unsettled	Disturbed; not calm.
99.	Uptight	Overly tense and rigid.
100.	Wary	Cautious; on guard.