nervously

Definition of nervouslynext

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 nervously On a humid June morning, two turtle hatchlings flail nervously inside a red cooler faded from Watamu’s sweltering sun. Sophie Neiman, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Aug. 2026 Rebecca stood up nervously, her eyes taking him in with diagnostic intensity. Emma Cline, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2026 Some of the men in the room could be seen glancing nervously at their dates. Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026 The video for the title track sees Grande nervously walking past one as her character, aspiring actress Pepper, is on the way to audition for a bunch of ghoulish men. Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026 On a cold winter day in January 2014, Mark Tatum sat nervously at NBA headquarters in New York. Jabari Young, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026 One kept moving, dancing nervously from foot to foot, pacing back and forth to the corner. Eric Boodman, STAT, 31 July 2026 The audience giggled nervously as their seats rocked and rolled during the tense chase scene, and whenever the dinosaur went in for an attack, a squirt of water shot out from behind each audience member’s seat. Matt Minton, Variety, 19 July 2026 After all the buildup, Rafter started nervously and was broken in his first service game. Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 12 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nervously
Adverb
  • Nelza Moktan anxiously sought information about her missing cousin, who also worked as a driver in Rasuwa.
    Victoria Milko, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Instead, he’s spent August anxiously watching the orange skies from his house in the northern Nevada hills through two consecutive and adjacent wild-land fires, the Bug and Hawk Fires.
    Anya Kamenetz, Curbed, 28 Aug. 2026
Adverb
  • This show of sweetness fighting back against a sense of hopelessness builds an apprehensively brighter perspective than earlier work.
    Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Adverb
  • By acting too timidly around its allies, Washington has missed opportunities.
    Dafna H. Rand, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The other photo shows two of the cubs huddled in a corner of a habitat, with one eyeing the camera timidly.
    Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 6 Apr. 2026
Adverb
  • At one moment, the young prince glances down with his doe eyes before looking shyly off to the side at his mom and breaking out into a giggle.
    Christina Perrier, InStyle, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Burke entered the packed courtroom with shackles around his waist and, for a brief moment, seemed to smile shyly at the room.
    Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 22 July 2026

Cite this Entry

“Nervously.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nervously. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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