/'nɜ:vəs; `nɝvəs/
adj
1 of the nerves (nerve 1) 神经的
*a nervous disorder 神经失常
* the nervous system of the human body 人体的神经系统.
2 ~ (of sth/doing sth) fearful; timid 害怕的; 胆怯的; 胆小的
*a frail, nervous little person 脆弱、胆小的可怜人
* I'm nervous of (being in) large crowds. 我在大庭广众之下感到胆怯.
* Are you nervous in the dark? 你在黑暗处觉得害怕吗?
* She gave a nervous laugh. 她胆怯地一笑.
3 tense; excited; unstable 神经紧张的; 神经过敏的; 神经质的
*full of nervous energy 精力充沛
* a nervous style ofwriting 刚劲的笔力.

adj
worried or frightened about something, and unable to relax
→anxiousnervous about
　She was so nervous about her exams that she couldn't sleep.
　I wish you'd stop looking at me like that. You're making me nervous .
feel/get nervous
　Paul always gets nervous whenever he has to give a presentation.
nervous smile/laugh/look/glance
　'Don't be silly,' she said with a nervous laugh. 'There's no such thing as ghosts.'
　By the time I got into the interview I was a nervous wreck (=was extremely nervous) .
nervous of
　We were all a bit nervous of him at first (=frightened of him) .
often becoming worried or frightened, and easily upset
　She's a nervous, sensitive child.
　The film is unsuitable for people of a nervous disposition (=who are easily frightened) .
[only before noun]
related to the nerves in your body
nervous condition/illness/disorder
　She was suffering from a nervous condition.
　He had a nervous twitch (=his body made small, uncontrolled movements) .
nervous exhaustion/strain
a mental condition in which you feel very tired, usually caused by working too hard or by a difficult emotional problem
>nervouslyadv
　She smiled nervously.
>nervousnessn[U]
　Mike's nervousness showed in his voice.

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WORD CHOICE: nervous, anxious, annoyed, irritated
If you are nervous , you cannot relax because you are worried about something that you have to do : I was nervous about my job interview. | He sounded really nervous when he first started speaking.
If you are anxious , you are very worried about something that may happen or may have happened, over which you feel you have no control : When she didn't come home from school her parents began to get anxious.
Do not use nervous to talk about angry feelings. Use annoyed or irritated.
If you are annoyed , you feel slightly angry with someone because of what they have done : I was annoyed that he kept me waiting.
If you are irritated , you are made slightly angry by something that keeps happening : Irritated by their giggling, he told them to be quiet.
!! If someone is irritating you, you can say that they get on your nerves (NOT 'on your nervous') : His fidgeting is getting on my nerves.

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