unnerving
Definition
Adjective: 1. Causing one to lose courage or confidence; frightening or intimidating in a way that makes one feel less able to act. It describes something that creates anxiety, nervousness, or a sense of being emotionally or mentally shaken.
Usage
The adjective "unnerving" is used to describe situations, experiences, sounds, sights, or behaviors that have a disturbing psychological effect, making a person feel unsettled or less in control. * It typically modifies nouns like experience, silence, feeling, sensation, effect, situation, sound, gaze, calm, thought. * It is often used with verbs like be, find, prove.
Examples
- The long, unnerving silence in the empty house made her heart race.
- Many people find public speaking an unnerving experience.
- His steady, unblinking stare was strangely unnerving.
- The pilot remained calm, which was both reassuring and unnerving.
Advanced Usage
- To find something unnerving: This is a common collocation expressing a personal reaction.
- I find his complete lack of emotion unnerving.
- Something unnerving about...: Used to specify an unsettling quality.
- There was something unnerving about the way he smiled.
Variants and Related Words
- Unnerve (verb): To make someone lose courage or confidence.
- The sudden noise unnerved the horses.
- Nerve (noun): Courage, especially in a demanding situation.
- It takes a lot of nerve to confront your boss.
Synonyms
- Disconcerting
- Daunting
- Disquieting
- Intimidating
- Unsettling
Antonyms
- Reassuring
- Comforting
- Encouraging
- Calming
Related Phrases and Idioms
- To have nerves of steel: To be very brave and not easily frightened.
- Surgeons need to have nerves of steel. (Contrasts with being unnerved.)
Adjective
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inspiring fear
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the formidable prospect of major surgery
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a tougher and more redoubtable adversary than the heel-clicking, jackbooted fanatic- G.H.Johnston
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something unnerving and prisonlike about high grey wall
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