Meaning & use

nervy

adjective·Advanced

Last updated

bold and confident to the point of being cheeky or presumptuous; in British usage, it can instead mean nervous or tense.

See it in a sentence

It was pretty nervy of him to ask for a raise on his first day.

She felt nervy before the interview, her hands trembling slightly.

A note on using this word

Meaning shifts by region: in American English it usually means brash or cheeky, while in British English it more often means nervous.

Words with a similar meaning

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Words with an opposite meaning

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