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# nervy

adjective (nervy, nervier, nerviest)

«nervy» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (UK, Australia, NZ) Nervous, jumpy and easily worried or frightened. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nervy/#m1)
2. (US, informal) Bold and cheeky, daring to do things others would not. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nervy/#m2)

### In the lessons

A word that means different things in different countries: in a British story, a "nervy" horse or child is jumpy; in an American story, a "nervy" kid is cheeky or brave. Used about sport ("a nervy finish") and everyday feelings.

### Examples

- I always feel a bit nervy before a test. (UK) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nervy/#x1)
- The horse was nervy and jumped at every noise. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nervy/#x2)
- It was a nervy last five minutes, but we held on to win. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nervy/#x3)
- The nervy kitten hid under the sofa. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nervy/#x4)
- That was a nervy thing to say to the principal! (US) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nervy/#x5)
- He gave a nervy laugh. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nervy/#x6)
- She was nervy on her first day at the new school. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nervy/#x7)

### Note

UK and US meanings differ: UK "nervy" = nervous; US "nervy" = bold or cheeky. Comparative "nervier", superlative "nerviest". Related: "nervous", "nerve" ("You've got a nerve!" = how rude/cheeky).

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «nervy» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/nervy/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«nervy» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/nervy.html) on Mova free.