English

Adjective

nervy ‎(comparative nervier, superlative nerviest)

1. (US) Having nerve; bold; brazen.
2. (Britain) Feeling nervous, anxious or agitated.
   • 2012 May 9, John Percy, “Birmingham City 2 Blackpool 2 (2-3 on agg): match report”, in the Telegraph:

     Blackpool continue to thrive on the adrenalin rush of the end-of-season shoot-out and are heading for a second Wembley date in two years after negotiating a nervy path past Birmingham.

3. (archaic) Strong; sinewy.
   • John Keats

     And, for those simple times, his garments were
     A chieftain-king's: beneath his breast, half bare,
     Was hung a silver bugle, and between
     His nervy knees there lay a boar-spear keen […]

Derived terms

• nervily
• nerviness

Related terms

• nervous

Translations