Meaning & use
nervously
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Meanings
adverbnot comparable
In a manner that shows worry, fear, or lack of calm, often through small actions.
Grammar: Usually follows or comes before the verb: she laughed nervously. It describes how someone does something.
Patterns
- laugh nervously
- glance nervously at something
- wait nervously
He tapped his fingers nervously while he waited for the results.
She laughed nervously and looked at the floor.
The students waited nervously outside the exam room.
adverbnot comparable
With hesitation or lack of confidence about doing something new or risky.
Grammar: Often comes with verbs of movement or speech: stepped forward nervously.
Patterns
- step forward nervously
- ask nervously
The new driver pulled nervously onto the highway.
I nervously asked if I could sit at their table.
The boy nervously stepped onto the stage.
Word forms
| comparative | more nervously |
|---|---|
| superlative | most nervously |
Common combinations
- laugh nervously
- Some people laugh nervously when they feel embarrassed.
- glance nervously
- He glanced nervously at the clock.
- wait nervously
- We waited nervously for the doctor to call.
- fidget nervously
- She fidgeted nervously with her sleeve.
- speak nervously
- The boy spoke nervously in front of the class.
Synonyms and how they differ
- anxiously
- Anxiously suggests deeper, longer worry about a result, while nervously fits short-term jitters in a specific moment.
- uneasily
- Uneasily suggests a vague sense that something is wrong rather than clear fear of an event.
- timidly
- Timidly describes a shy, fearful character or manner and not just temporary tension, as nervously does.
- edgily
- Edgily is less common and suggests being irritable and on edge, not simply worried.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: nervously or anxiously?
nervously vs anxiously
Anxiously usually involves stronger or longer concern about what might happen, whereas nervously often shows a brief tense reaction.
Practice
She ___ checked her notes one more time before walking onto the stage.
Choose one answer.
Nervously suits someone feeling tense before a performance. Calmly would mean she was relaxed, which clashes with checking notes again and again.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nervously”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.