nervy
nervy Lexical Profile
nervy Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
British Easily agitated, anxious, or on edge; nervous or excitable.
"The home supporters grew increasingly nervy during the final ten minutes of the close match."
North American Showing bold or impudent self-confidence; brash, audacious, or presumptuous.
"It was pretty nervy of the new intern to challenge the director's proposal on his very first day."
American Featuring or requiring boldness, courage, or cool composure under pressure.
"The filmmaker's nervy debut tackles controversial social themes that most studios avoid."
Word Nuance & Usage
In British English, 'nervy' primarily means anxious, jumpy, or easily agitated, whereas in North American English it more often means boldly impudent, brash, or showing considerable nerve.
• Rhymes for nervy
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in English from 'nerve' plus the suffix '-y'; originally used in the 17th century to mean sinewy or vigorous before developing the modern senses of 'jumpy' and 'impudent' in the late 19th century.