unnerving

U1N1N1E1R1V4I1N1G2
/ˈʌnˈnɜːvɪŋ/

adjective

Causing a deprivation of courage, strength, confidence, etc.

UncommonScrabble 13

Meanings

verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of unnerve
adjectiveunnerving (comparative more unnerving, superlative most unnerving)

comparative more unnerving · superlative most unnerving

  1. Causing a deprivation of courage, strength, confidence, etc.

    The situation was unnerving, and dangerous.

    2020 June 15, Eva Holland, “In a Crisis, We Can Learn From Trauma Therapy”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 15 Jun 2020
    1 more example

    Presenting 14 unnerving segments, featured phobias include caetophobia (fear of hairs), henophobia (fear of young virgin girls), coprophobia (fear of feces), mysophobia (fear of contamination and germs), mazeophobia (fear of being lost), astrophobia (fear of celestial objects), mageirocophobia (fear of cooking) and oneirophobia (fear of dreams).

    2018 March 7, Chewie, “Artsploitation Acquires ‘A Taste of Phobia’”, in ScareTissue, archived from the original on 19 Aug 2022

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveinspiring fear

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

German nervenaufreibend
  • nervenaufreibendTranslations
Latin ēnervāns
  • ēnervānsTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

unnerving. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unnerving

MLA

“unnerving.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unnerving. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unnerving,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unnerving.

Source: unnerving on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.