ner·vous /ˈnɜːvəs $ ˈnɜːr-/ ●●● S3 W3 adjectiveadj 1 NERVOUSworried or frightened about something, and unable to relax 神经紧张的;焦虑不安的;害怕的,胆怯的 → anxiousnervous about something She was so nervous about her exams that she couldn’t sleep. 考试让她紧张得睡不着觉。
I wish you’d stop looking at me like that. You’re making me nervous. 我希望你不要再那样看着我了,你让我紧张。
feel/get nervous Paul always gets nervous whenever he has to give a presentation. 每次要进行陈述的时候,保罗总是很紧张。
nervous smile/laugh/look/glance ‘Don’t be silly, ’ she said with a nervous laugh. ‘There’s no such thing as ghosts.’ “别傻了,” 她紧张地笑了笑,“世上没有鬼这种东西。
By the time I got into the interview I was a nervous wreck (=was extremely nervous). 到了面试的时候,我紧张得要命。
nervous of somebody We were all a bit nervous of him at first (=frightened of him). 起初我们都有点怕他。
► see thesaurus at worried 2 NERVOUSoften becoming worried or frightened, and easily upset 神经脆弱的,神经质的 She’s a nervous, sensitive child. 她是一个胆怯而敏感的孩子。
The film is unsuitable for people of a nervous disposition (=who are easily frightened). 这部影片不适合容易紧张的人观看。
3 HBMP[only before noun] relating to the nerves in your body 神经系统的,神经方面的nervous condition/illness/disorder She was suffering from a nervous condition. 她患上了一种神经系统疾病。
He had a nervous twitch (=his body made small uncontrolled movements). 他身体出现神经性抽搐。
—nervously adverbadv She smiled nervously. 她紧张地笑了笑。
—nervousness noun [uncountableU] Mike’s nervousness showed in his voice. 迈克的声音里透着紧张不安。
n COLLOCATIONSverbsfeel nervousHe looked at her for so long that she began to feel nervous.
get/become nervousEveryone gets nervous before a big game.
seem/appear nervousShe seemed nervous at first, but her presentation was good.
look/sound nervousHe sounded nervous and uncertain.
make somebody nervousBeing alone in the house made her nervous.
adverbsslightly nervousLooking slightly nervous, Paul began to speak.
a little/a bit nervousI was a little nervous before the interview.
extremely nervousThe policeman noticed that the driver seemed extremely nervous.
nounsa nervous smile/laugh/giggle‘It doesn’t matter, ’ she said, with a nervous smile.
nervous laughterHis comment was met with nervous laughter.
a nervous look/glanceLucy swallowed as she sent him a nervous glance.
nervous tension (=a feeling of being very tense and nervous)It was the play’s opening night, and Gloria was in a state of nervous tension.
phrasesbe a nervous wreck (=be so nervous or worried that you cannot deal with a situation)By the end of the rehearsal I was a nervous wreck.
THESAURUSnervous worried or a little frightened about something and unable to relax 紧张焦虑的Kelly was so nervous about her exam that she couldn’t sleep. 考试让凯莉紧张得睡不着觉。
It makes me nervous when you drive that fast. 你开那么快,我很紧张。
tense worried and unable to relax in a way that makes you get angry or upset easily 紧张易怒的Mary’s problems at work were making her tense and irritable. 工作上遇到的问题让玛丽变得紧张易怒。
uneasy nervous because you feel that something bad might happen, so that you are unable to relax until the danger has passed 〔因感觉坏事可能发生而〕紧张不安的I began to feel uneasy when he still hadn’t phoned by 11 o'clock. 他11点还没有打电话来,我开始不安起来。
on edge if you are on edge or your nerves are on edge, you feel nervous because you are worried about what might happen 〔因担心某事发生而〕神经紧张的My nerves were on edge, waiting for the results of the test. 我紧张地等待着考试结果。
Redundancies and other work upheavals have put employees on edge. 裁员以及职场的动荡让员工们紧张不安。
neurotic nervous and anxious in a way that is not normal or reasonable 神经质的,神经过敏的She’s completely neurotic about food hygiene. 她对食品卫生太神经过敏了。
edgy/jumpy/jittery nervous because you are worried about what might happen 〔因担心某事发生而〕紧张不安的Investors are a little edgy about the financial markets these days. 投资者对于最近的金融市场有点心慌。
nThere was a lot of pressure on the team tonight and that’s why they were a little jumpy.
highly-strung British EnglishBrE, high-strung American EnglishAmE becoming nervous or upset easily because that is your character 〔性格〕紧张敏感的Like many musicians, he’s very sensitive and highly-strung. 和许多音乐家一样,他也非常敏感,容易激动。
be a nervous wreck to feel extremely nervous and unable to relax 神经极度紧张After 10 months of teaching, I was a total nervous wreck. 经历了十个月的教学工作,我感到神经极度紧张。
have butterflies (in your stomach) informal to feel nervous about something that you are going to do very soon because it is important and you want to do it well 心里紧张不安,心里七上八下Actors often have butterflies before going on stage. 演员上台表演前心里往往非常紧张。
nervous• Stop tapping your feet! You're making me nervous.• The sounds outside were making me feel nervous.• The stage is huge, you know, and I walked out there, and I was real nervous.• We were always concerned, but never nervous.• Kelli was so nervous about her exam that she couldn't sleep.• I'm a little nervous about leaving the kids at home all alone.• I was so nervous about my exams that I couldn't sleep.• Many investors are nervous about their investments after the recent drop in the stock market.• Harry began to feel nervous again as the plane made its descent.• Bill looked nervous, and I could see his hands were shaking.• Skinheads, on the other hand, are nervous and twitchy.• I'm always nervous before exams.• She's such a nervous child we don't like to leave her on her own.• a nervous disorder• People of a nervous disposition may be upset by some of the scenes in the following programme.• Mum gets nervous if we don't call to say we're late.• Mr Darby was a mild, nervous man who seemed to expect people to ignore him.• Jill's always been a little nervous of dogs.• As soon as you make a nervous slip, he explodes with anger - humiliating you in front of colleagues.• Sanders reassured nervous students that loans would be available this fall.• The basis of these unities does not seem to lie within the nervous system as it is currently conceived.• It became possible to test theories about nervous system functions.• Doctors say the drug causes body temperatures to rise so high that the central nervous system shuts down.• You know what makes me nervous? When people drive really close behind you.• It makes me nervous when you drive that fast.• a thin, nervous woman nervous about something• I didn't know him and was really nervous about having to work with him.
of a nervous disposition• She was of a nervous disposition, Miss Kilspindie.