nerve-racking

adjective

ˈnərv-ˌra-kiŋ How to pronounce nerve-racking (audio)
variants or nerve-wracking
Definition of nerve-rackingnext
as in uneasy
marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings the nerve-racking wait to learn the identities of the passengers who were killed in the plane crash

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of nerve-racking In the best-case scenario, what follows will be 13 minutes of nerve-racking tension—about half of which will be in radio blackout. — Lee Billings, Scientific American, 9 Apr. 2026 Feeling the weight of an entire country seems like a nerve-racking prospect, but the women of BINI take it in stride. — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 17 Apr. 2026 Making your Major League debut is nerve-racking enough, but doing so while trying to preserve a no-hitter is a different kind of pressure. — Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026 Economists, analysts, and investors have spent the past few days sounding the alarm about stagflation, a uniquely nerve-racking scenario in which high inflation dogs a low-growth, stagnant economy. — Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for nerve-racking
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nerve-racking
  1. uneasy
  2. disturbing
  3. tense
  4. nervous
  5. anxious
  6. unsettling
  7. distressful
  8. unnerving
Adjective
  • The company and the government have since seemed to settle into an uneasy truce.
    — Tristan Bove, Fortune, 1 July 2026
  • But some retirees remain uneasy about security concerns, healthcare quality, and property ownership structures.
    — Andy J. Semotiuk, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of uneasy
Adjective
  • There were many disturbing parts of Kerstin’s story left unpursued.
    — William Finnegan, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
  • The film is a modern take on the creature horror film told from the perspective of a young boy who slowly begins to discover that his beloved parents are hiding a disturbing secret about his mother’s true nature.
    — Justin Kroll, Deadline, 25 June 2026
Definition of disturbing
Adjective
  • In May, during a tense commission meeting, a majority of commissioners declined to give her a raise after her first year on the job.
    — Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026
  • Both of these factors lead to tense – but also quite funny –moments.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 3 July 2026
Definition of tense
Adjective
  • At Clis boutique in Melrose Park, owner Jeimmy Espina is nervous and overwhelmed by the number of dead and injured in her home country.
    — Shardaa Gray, CBS News, 1 July 2026
  • Apple head honchos are nervous about cybersecurity – and one reason might be a recent supply chain attack on supplier Tata, the largest Indian company of its kind to ink a partnership with the front-running American smartphone company.
    — John Werner, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of nervous
Adjective
  • Max is accompanied on his adventures by anxious robot C-3PO AB Sitter, and FX, a magical alien masquerading as a toy who can turn the kid's implausibly impressive sand sculptures into fully functioning robots.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 5 July 2026
  • America’s centennial in 1876 was celebrated with a grand exhibition that projected an image of national unity and inventiveness in the anxious aftermath of civil war and recession.
    — The New York Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026
Definition of anxious
Adjective
  • After all, Against Nature is all about the unsettling atmosphere and the senses.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 4 July 2026
  • Seeking a fresh start, Ellie moves into a house on Delaney Row hoping to leave her troubled past behind, only to discover that her new home is steeped in dark secrets and unsettling mysteries.
    — Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 3 July 2026
Definition of unsettling
Adjective
  • And yet behind the distressful scene, a young man continues to butcher an animal.
    — Kaely Monahan, The Arizona Republic, 27 Mar. 2024
  • Despite the distressful news of Houston’s death that day, the event went forward to create a space for guests to mourn.
    — Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN, 2 Feb. 2024
Definition of distressful
Adjective
  • Set that against Microsoft's research mapping AI applicability across occupations, which scores knowledge and information work highest and physical labor lowest, and an unnerving pattern surfaces.
    — Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
  • And of course, the history of the unnerving shoe extends way beyond the advent of social media.
    — Rachel Tashjian, CNN Money, 26 June 2026
Definition of unnerving

Browse Nearby Words

nervelessly
nerve-racking
nerves
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Cite this Entry

“Nerve-racking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nerve-racking. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of nerve-racking for Spanish Speakers

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