Standard Lemma guide

unnerve

verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ʌnˈnɜː(ɹ)v/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)v
  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 N ER1 V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To deprive of nerve, force, or strength; to weaken; to enfeeble. Compare enervate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • to unnerve the arm

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To make somebody nervous, upset, alarm, shake the resolve of.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I was greatly unnerved by the news that my attacker was back in the country.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

disturb the composure of

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: faze, enervate, unsettle

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: upset, discompose, untune, disconcert, discomfit

Narrower terms: unman

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h2ent- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h2éntsder. Proto-Germanic *anda- Proto-West Germanic *anda- Old English and- Old English on- Middle English on- English un- English nerve English unnerve From un- + nerve.

Across languages

Translations

25 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: обезсилвам (obezsilvam) — deprive of nerve, force or strength
  • Chinese Mandarin: 使虛弱 /使虚弱 (shǐ xūruò) — deprive of nerve, force or strength
  • Finnish: lamauttaa — deprive of nerve, force or strength
  • French: affaiblir — deprive of nerve, force or strength
  • Latin: debilito — deprive of nerve, force or strength
  • Russian: истощать (istoščatʹ) — deprive of nerve, force or strength
  • Russian: ослаблять (oslabljatʹ) — deprive of nerve, force or strength
  • Spanish: desnervar — deprive of nerve, force or strength
  • Bulgarian: нервирам (nerviram) — upset
  • Bulgarian: разстройвам (razstrojvam) — upset
  • Chinese Mandarin: 使不安 (shǐ bù'ān) — upset
  • Finnish: hermostuttaa — upset
  • Finnish: hermostua — upset
  • French: énerver — upset
  • French: perturber — upset
  • Latin: ēnervō — upset
  • Māori: whakahārangi — upset
  • Māori: kōnatunatu — upset
  • Russian: огорчать (ogorčatʹ) — upset
  • Russian: обескураживать (obeskuraživatʹ) — upset
  • Serbo-Croatian: uznemiriti — upset
  • Serbo-Croatian: jeziv — upset
  • Serbo-Croatian: živcirati — upset
  • Spanish: desnervar — upset
  • Ukrainian: нервува́ти (nervuváty) — upset