1
as in to paralyze
to deprive of courage or confidence
the riding accident so unnerved me that for a while I was afraid to get back on a horse
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to discourage
to lessen the courage or confidence of
a figure skater can't afford to be unnerved by an occasional slipup
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unnerve
China has been gripped by a surge of sudden episodes of violence targeting random members of the public – including children – in recent months as economic growth stutters, unnerving a public long accustomed to low violent crime rates and ubiquitous surveillance.
—
Hassan Tayir, CNN, 20 Jan. 2025
Democrats have been unnerved by recent polls that show Harris’ numbers sagging among Black voters, particularly young men.
—Josh Feldman, NBC News, 21 Oct. 2024
Matty, trying to unnerve Irv by flirting with him, pretends to be confused by all the beer options at modern bars.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025
Though President Donald Trump has unnerved Taiwan with recent comments demanding the island pay more for its defense and accusing it of stealing U.S. semiconductor business, his administration has also made strong statements of support for Taipei.
—Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 17 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unnerve
Hassan Tayir, CNN, 20 Jan. 2025
Democrats have been unnerved by recent polls that show Harris’ numbers sagging among Black voters, particularly young men.
—Josh Feldman, NBC News, 21 Oct. 2024
Matty, trying to unnerve Irv by flirting with him, pretends to be confused by all the beer options at modern bars.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025
Though President Donald Trump has unnerved Taiwan with recent comments demanding the island pay more for its defense and accusing it of stealing U.S. semiconductor business, his administration has also made strong statements of support for Taipei.
—Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 17 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unnerve
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unnerve
Verb
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Soon, failure to hit your daily goals will sound much worse than any of the noise that used to paralyze you.—
Kevin Kruse,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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The vote has thrown the House into disarray and paralyzed the chamber, leaving Johnson to find a way to break the impasse.—
Lauren Peller,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2025
Verb
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All these incidents may have discouraged some potential Tesla buyers from going ahead with their purchases.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
2 Apr. 2025
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The goal would be to discourage the use of the bags, which not only harm the environment but can clog city sewer drains and lead to street flooding.—
Karri Peifer,
Axios,
31 Mar. 2025
Verb
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For the most part, yes, although children ages 8 and younger might be frightened by some of the action sequences.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2025
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Despite these protections on paper, permanent residents and visa-holders have been frightened by the speed and ferocity of the Trump administration’s crackdown and its bulldozing of due process rights, said Neil A. Weinrib, an immigration attorney for more than four decades.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The team settled on a patient with SD Autism Spectrum disorder who had an ankle sprain but frustrated Dr. Langdon (Patrick Ball) with his endless questions.—
Chris O'Falt,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2025
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Although so highly esteemed, the notoriously taciturn director would often frustrate his colleagues by his reticence to explain his directorial intentions.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Robbins’ parents were terrified that the school was using the laptop to spy on their son and other students (including their daughter Paige).—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
8 Apr. 2025
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The thought of dying without finding out what happened to her son terrifies Petrone.—
Faith Karimi,
CNN Money,
6 Apr. 2025
Verb
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And, Wright says, human therapists should not be intimidated by their AI counterparts.—
Katia Riddle,
NPR,
7 Apr. 2025
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For the past year and a half, our Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim community at Microsoft has been silenced, intimidated, harassed, and doxxed, with impunity from Microsoft.—
Jordan Novet,Hayden Field,
CNBC,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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As part of their efforts, the duo are trained to simply scare the animals off and run five to seven miles daily, rain or shine.—
Brenton Blanchet,
People.com,
5 Apr. 2025
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Ant scare Anthony Edwards finished with a team-high 28 points on an efficient 10-for-15 shooting from the field.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unnerve.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unnerve. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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