nervousness[1]

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NERVOUSNESS, WORRY AND ANSIETY

NERVOUS: worried and frightened about something that may happen, so that youare unable to relax.

Theres no need to be so nervous. It is only an interview.

Nervous about: I was so nervous about my exam that I couldnt sleep .

Nervously: He was pacing nervously up and down the room .

Nervousness: Many people fail their driving test first time, usually throughnervousness.

TENSE: so nervous that you are unable to relax or your muscles feel tight.After a long days driving I always feel very tense.

Grow tense: Hazel grew tense with the sudden fear that something hadhappened to her baby.

ON EDGE: feeling nervous so that you are unable to relax and likely to becomeangry or upset very easily.In a crisis people are more on edge and agitated than they would otherwise .Somebodys nerves are on edge: The riots had shocked the nation, andeveryones nerves were on edge until it was over.

EDGY: feeling nervous so that you are unable to relax or behave in a calm wayAs the police approached the two men become edgy nd suspicious.

UNEASY: nervous that something bad might happen, so that you feel anxious andunable to relax until the danger has passedIt was the same uneasy feeling hed experienced that morning when he saw the

police car outside.

Uneasy about:Rebecca had trusted a stranger with her bag and was beggining tofeel uneasy about it.

Uneasily: Spiro glanced around uneasily Do you think anyone is watching us

Uneasiness: She looked at the clock with growing uneasiness.

UPTIGHT: an informal word meaning unable to be relaxed about life in general, sothat this makes you seem unfriendly and unhappy.Dont ask Betty to come to the party shess so uptight these days shed only spoilit.


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IDIOMSTO HAVE BUTTERFLIES IN YOUR STOMACH: to feel nervous about doingsomethinbg that you are going to do very soon because it is important and yuouwant to do it well.It was the morning of the World Cup Final and most of the players had butterflies

in their stomachs.

TO BE ON PAIN AND NEEDLES: an informal American expression meaning tofeel nervous, especially so that you cannot keep still.Lauras husband was three hours late and she was on pins and needles as shewaited for him.

2) So nervous that you are unable to think clearly or behave calmly.

PANICKY: very nervous and anxious about something, especially when you are ina dangerous situation that you cannot control or change.I began to feel panicky, sure that i was going to miss the train. (Infml)

AGITATED: extremely nervous and unable to keep still or think calmly.I f there is any change to the patients routine he becomes confused and agitated.

Agitation:An anxious mother cannot avoid passing on her agitation to her baby.

JUMPY: very nervous so that you are unable to relax and are easily surprised bysudden sounds or movements.She gets jumpy when shes alone in the house in the evening.(infml)

EXCITED: very nervous or upset about something, in a way that makes peoplethink you are reacting too strongly.When he was excited he spoke too quickly and was completely unintelligible.

Excited about: Calm down. Theres no point getting excited about it.

Excitedly:Suddenly the animals became disturbed and moved excitedly in theircages.

TO HAVE A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN: an illness in which some one suffers fromdeep depression, worry and tiredness and so has a psychiatric treatment.Youll give yourself a nervous breakdown going on working like this.

YOUR NERVES FRAY: you feel irritable and nervous because of mental strainand anxiety.My nerves get frayed easily these days.


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BE IN A STATE: a British expression meaning to be very nervous that you cannotthink clearly or behave calmly.Before my exams I was in a terrible state. I could hardly hold my pen .

GET IN A STATE:Theres no point in getting in a state Im sure shell be backhome soon.

NERVOUS WRECK: someone has been made so nervous that they havecompletely lost all their confidence and their ability to remain calm or think sensibly.Before the plane took off she was a nervous wreck she had to be strapped intoher seat.

BE A BUNDLE /a bag of /a mass OF NERVES: an informal expression meaningto be so nervous that luy are shaking and you find it impossible to behave calmly,especially for a long time.Since she lost her job Rosies been a bundle of nerves .

HAVE THE JITTERS/ BE JITTERY: someone is nervous about something in away that other people are certain to notice.Hes getting married tomorrow and hes really got the jitters.

3) Words for describing someone who is often nervous or always nervous.

NERVY: somebody who is nervy tends tobe tense, anxious and easily upset.She never recovered from it, and she was very nervy afterwards.

HIGHLY STRUNG: always nervous and unable to relax, especially so that youreact in a very extreme way to ordinary situations.Her main problem is that she is very highly-strung which tends to make other

people feel nervous too.

OF A NERVOUS DISPOSITION: a formal expression meaning always nervousand easily frightened.The film is not suitable for people of a nervous disposition.

4) A feeling of being nervous.

NERVES: the feeling of being nervous because you are worried ord a littlefrightened about something.Normally hes very relaxed and amusing. It must be nerves .

Suffer from nerves: Although a competent teacher, he suffers from nerves whenthe students behave badly.


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Attack of nerves:He had a sudden attack of nerves and he refused to go to seethe dentist.COLLOCATIONSTo show signs of nervousness to betray ones nervousness / sense sbdysnervousness/ overcome ones nervousness

TENSION: a feeling of being so nervous that you are unable to relax or yourmuscles fell tight.My necks really stiff Its probably due to tension

The tension mounts:/Increases/ Heightens /builds up /growsAs the tensionmounts towards the end of term, some students dropped out of the course./=torelieve/ to defuse /to ease/Tocause7 generate or create tenionThe source of tension EG:Money was always a source of tension between

parents.

5) Words for describing a situation that makes people feel nervous.

TENSE: making people feel nervous and anxious especially because they areworried about what might happen next or what someone might do.There was a tense silence as the police waited for the gun mans next move.

STRAINED: a situation that is strained make people feel nervous, embarrased,and uncomfortable, and unable to behave naturally.Since my father left home things have been very strained.

UNEASY: a situation that is uneasy makes people feel nervous because they areuncertain about what will happen next or what someone might do.

After the speech there was an uneasy silence and nobody clapped.

NAILBITING: a nailbiting situation makes people extremely nervous and excited,especially because they are waiting for a result or decision.Waiting to become a father is one of the most nailbiting situations a man can face .

NAILBITING FINISH: with three minutes left, the World Cup Final is set for anailbiting finish.

CHARGED: a charged situation or subject make people feel very nervous and islikely to cause argument or violence.Charged atmosphere: The already charged atmosphere erupted into violencewhen police told the crowd to disperseCharged: Congress today debated the charged issue of aid to rebels in ElSalvador.Highly charged: In a highly charged press conference the man defended hisattack on the children.

6) To make someone feel nervous.


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MAKE SOMEBODY NERVOUS: Have you seen the way he looks at people? Hemakes me nervous.

UNSETTLE: if something unsettles you, it makes you feel less calm than you

usually are and unable to completely relax.The noises upstairs unsettled him and he was unable to sleep .

UNNERVE: to make someone who is usually calm feel nervous.My father always cleared his throat before telling me off, and it always unnervedme.

PSYCH OUT: to try to make someone, especially someone you are competingagainst in a game, lose their confidence and their abitlity to remain calm.Psych out somebody: Mc Enroe often used his bad behaviour in difficult tennismatches to psych out his opponent.

PUT SOMEBODY ON EDGE: to make someone feel very nervous so that theycannot relax.I sont like the way she lets her kids play around so near the road. It really puts meon edge.

TO SOOTHE SOMEBODYS NERVES: to make them feel calmer. To calm sbdysnervesHe tried to soothe her nerves by making conversation.Soothing: That music has a soothing effect on the nerves.

WORRIED

1) Worried about something.

WORRIED: unhappy because you keep thinking about a problem or because youare afraid that something unpleasant might happen.Rons business is losing money and he is very worried.Worried about: The doctor told me there was no reason to be worried about myhealth.Worried that: I rushed into the station, worried that I might miss my train.Get worried: She gets worried when her husband is late home from work.Worried expression/look/frown: Helen looked at me with a worried expression.

Are you feeling allright? She asked.

ANXIOUS: very worried about somethin that may happen or may have happened,so that you think about it all the time, especially when you have a good reason tobe worried.


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Anxious about: Helen is anxious about travelling by herself.Anxious that:Her relatives were anxious that it might be cancer.Anxious look/expression: She gave me an anxious look: He should have beenhome by nowAnxiously: We waited anxiously for news of the missing helicopter.

CONCERNED: worried about something such as a social problem, or aboutsomeones health, safety etc.Concerned about: The government is becoming increasingly concerned about therising level of unemployment.

Concerned:A tv programme about cruelty to children brought hundreds of lettersfrom concerned viewers.Concerned for: Rescuers are concerned for the safety of two men trapped in themine.APPREHENSIVE: worried and nervous about something that you are going to door about the future.Apprehensive about: I must admit that before my baby was born I was veryapprehensive about motherhood.Apprehensive that: She was apprehensive that the injection might be painful.Apprehensive: Its natural to feel a little apprehensive before your first parachute

jump.Apprehensively: She looked at her father apprehensively, frightened of whatreaction would be.

UNEASY: worried and uncomfortable because you feel that there may besomething wrong and you are not at all sure what is going to happen.Feel uneasy: When I answered the phone no one was there and it made me feeluneasy.Uneasy about: We felt uneasy about leaving the children and going away for theweekend.Distinctlly uneasy: I was distinctly uneasy in his company, but I couldnt explainwhy.Uneasy feeling: Harry had an uneasy feeling that a hurricane was about to hit thetown.

DISMAYED: very worried, dissapointed, and upset by something that hashappened.Dismayed to see/hear etc: I was dismayed to learn that I had lost my job.Dismayed:Oh no, it cant be true! she said, utterly dismayed.

Bothered: an American word meaning anxious about something that mighthappen.Bothered about: Len is bothered about having to make a speech to the rest of theclass.Bothered that:Arent you bothered that you wont make the baseball team?


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NOT LIKE THE LOOK OF/SOUND OF: if you say that you do not like the look orthe sound of something, you mean that it makes you feel worried, because it mightpossibly be threatening or dangerous.I dont like the look of that rash on your chest.

2) To feel worried about something.

WORRY: Dont worry, theres plenty of time to get to the airport.Worry that: He began to worry that he was going to lose his job.Worry about:Antonia tends to worry about her weight too much.

FRET: to worry about unimportant things.Dont fret everything will be allright.Fret about: He spent all evening freeting about the arrangements for the party.

BROOD: to keep thinking about and worrying about a problem for a long time afterit has happened.Theres no point in brooding forget about her.Brood about/over: He sits in his house all day and broods about his money

problems. (fml)

3) To be worried that you become upset and cannot think clearly.

BE WORRIED SICK: Shes worried sick about her possibility of losing her job .(infml)

BE AT YOUR WITS END: to be so worried about a problem that you cannot thinkof any way of dealing weith it.Theres no one he can turn to for help and he is at his wits end.

FRANTIC: extremely worried and frightened about a situation so that you confuseyour feelings or cannot think clearly.Get/grow/become frantic:As the ship started to sink, the passengers grew moreand more frantic.Frantic with worry/fear etc: When Jim found that the documents had been stolen,he was frantic with worry.

4) Worried all the time because you have a lot of problems or difficult work to do.

HAVE A LOT ON YOUR MIND: to have a lot of problems to worry about.Since the divorce Lindas had a lot on her mind.

BE UNDER STRAIN: to have a lot lf work to do or have a lot of problems to dealwith, so that you feel worried and tired or get upset easily .I must apologiza for his behaviour hes been under strain lately and hes tired.


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STRESSED OUT: an informal expression meaning suffering from so much worryand tiredness that you cannot relax because you have too much work or too manyproblems.By the end of the tour the band was totally stressed out.

PREOCCUPIED: worrying so much about a particular problem that you cannotthink about anything else.She stared silently out of the window with the preoccupied look of someone whohas a serious problem.

5) Worried all the time that people dislike you, that bad things will happen to youetc, when in fact it is not true.

PARANOID: Look nobodys following you, youre just getting paranoid.

PARANOIA: the feeling that people dislike you and are trying to harm oyu or thatbad things will happen, when in fact this is not true.He suffers from paranoia always thinking people are laughing at him or takingadvantage of him.

6) The feeling that you have when you are worried about something.

WORRY OVER: Hes had a lot of worry over his sons illness.

ANXIETY: the feeling of being very worried about something that may happen ormay have happened.Her anxiety about the pain of childbirth is understandable.

CONCERN: continuous feelings of worry about your work or about someoneshealth, safety etc.Concern over/about: There is growing concern over the effect of video gamesdon childrens behaviour.Concern for somebody: There is a concern for the hostages, who have beenmoved to an unknown location.Deep concern:He desperately tried to hide his deep concern for the lost children.

STRESS: the continuous feeling of worry about your work or your personal life thatprevent you from relaxing and may affect your mental and physical health.

Areas of her work that she cannot control are creating stress in her life.Under stress: Jack needs a holiday hes been under stress lately.

STRAIN: a feeling of worry caused by having to deal with a particular problem orhaving to work very hard over a long period of time.The strain of managing such a huge company became too much for Ana.


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ANGUISH: mental suffering, caused for example by worry or guilt, or by being inan unpleasant situation over which you have no control.She spoke about her anguish at not being able to be at her mothers deathbed.

7) To make someone feel worried.TROUBLE: if a problem troubles you it makes you feel worried because you do notknow what to do about it.You must talk to your daughter and find out whats troublingher.Troubled:Dennis looked troubled. Im not sure whats wrong, he said.

CONCERN: if something concerns you, you worry about it because you think it isimportant, even if it does not affect you personally.Kates behaviour at school is starting to concern her parents .

CAUSE CONCERN/BE A CAUSE FOR CONCERN: if something that ishappening causes concern or is a cuase for concern, it makes someone, especiallysomeone in an official position, feel worried, because of insatisfactory or possiblydangerous.The situation in the region has now become a major cause for concern .

BOTHER: if something bothers you, especially an unimportant problem, it worriesyou a littleThe only thing that bothers me is how Im going to get to the farm.

8) Words for describing a fact, situation, time etc that makes you feel worried.

WORRYING:The possibility that I may lose my job is very worrying.

WORRISOME: an American word meaning worrying.She wanted to get away from her family and their worrisome problems .

ALARMING: a situation, experience, report etc, that is alarming is worrying andfrightening.There has been an alarming increase in violent crime over the past year.ALARMINGLY: Infant mortality among the population is alarming high.

ANXIOUS: time during which you feel worried and nervous because the situation isrisky and you do not know what is going to happen.For one anxious moment I thought the rope was going to break.

STRESSFUL: a job, experience, or situation that is stressful is one that makes youworry a lot because there are so many problems to deal with.Nursing is a veruy stressful occupation.


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TENSE: one that makes you very nervous and worried because something badmight happen at any moment.The atmosphere at the hospital waiting room was extremely tense.

NIGGLING: niggling doubt/worry/ suspicion/feeling: one that is slightly worrying

and which you cannot stop thinking about.The suspect seemed to have proved his innocence, but a niggling doubt remainedin my mind.

ALARMIST: statements/reports/warnings etc make people unnecessarily worriedabout dangers that do not exist.

Alarmist reports of oil pollution in the Pacific Ocean are now known to be untrue.

9) A situation or personal problem, that you are worried about.

CARES: problems or responsibilities in your life that make you worry.She was not really ready for the cares and responsibilities of running a family.

STRESSES AND STRAINS: the problems and worries that are caused by havingto work hard or live in a busy place.They moved to a little house in the country in order to get away from the stressesand strains of city life.

HANG UP: an informal work: if you have a hang up about something, such as yourpersonal appearance, you are unreasonably worried or embarrased about it.I want the children to understand sex and grow up without any hang ups .

COMPLEX: if you have a complex about something, especially about your owncharacter, you have strong, confused feelings about it, which make you feelworried and affect your behaviour.Have a complex about: Larry feels that hes been unfairly treated by his parents in fact he has quite a complex about it.Inferiority complex: Her inferiority complex is destroying her life.

10)Someone who worries a lot.

BE A WORRIER: to be the kind of person who worries a lot, often unnecessarily.He admitted to the doctor that he was a worrier and found it hard to relax.

WORRYWART: an informal American word meaning someone who worries toomuch.Dont be such a worrywart.

NEUROTIC: always very worried, nervous and anxious about things when there isno good reason.He was a shy, neurotic man who found it difficult to make friends.


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11)Not worried.

UNPERTURBED: a formal word meaning not worried about a particular situation ordanger, even though there is good reason to be worried.

He walked along the cliff edge, unperturbed by the dangerously strong winds.

CAREFREE: cheerful and not worried about anything, because you do not haveany real problems or responsibilities in your life.In those days I was young and carefree, living from day to day.

PHILOSOPHICAL: someone who is philosophical calmly accepts difficulties anddisappointments without feeling worried or upset, because they know nothing canbe done to change these things.Life can be very hard, but it does help if you have a philosophical outlook.

12)No longer worried about something that you were worrying about before.

RELIEVED: happy because you know that you no longer need to worry aboutsomething that was causing you a lot of worry.She felt relieved when she saw that her children were safe .

RELIEF: the feeling you have when you are no longer worried about somethingthat was causing you a lot of worry.The relief we felt when the plane landed safely was wonderful.What a relief: What a relief, said Tanya. I dont have to go into hospital.Breathe/heave a sigh of relief:As the customs officer let us through withoutlooking at our bags we breathed a sign of relief.

13)To make someone feel less worried or make them stop worrying aboutsomething.

REASSURE: to make someone feel less worried, especially by saying somethingto comfort them.The company has reassured the workers that there will be no job losses this year.

SET/PUT SOMEBODYS MIND AT REST: to make someone feel less worried,especially by giving them some information which shows that they have beenworrying unnecessarily.The doctor set my mind at rest by explaining exactly what effect the drug wouldhave on me.

PUT SOMEBODY OUT OF THEIR MISERY: a humorous expression meaning totell someone something that they have been waiting anxiously to find out.Now its time to put you all out of your misery and announce whos won thecompetition.


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14)What you say to tell someone not to worry.

DONT WORRY:Dont worry, said Tom. I have enough money for both of us

THERES NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT: used to comfort someone who is

worrying about something that is going to happen.Its just a simple operation. Theres nothing to worry about.

REST ASSURED: a formal expression used to tell someone that they can feel surethat there is no need to worry because everything is satisfactory.The work will be finished in time, rest assured.

nervousness[1]

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