nervy — erv y (n[ e]rv [y^]), a. [Compar. {nervier} (n[ e]rv [i^]*[ e]r); superl. {nerviest}.] 1. Strong; sinewy. His nervy knees. Keats. [1913 Webster] 2. Offensively bold or presumptuous; insolent; cheeky; pushy. [PJC] 3. Exhibiting courage or daring;… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
nervy — index insolent Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
nervy — (adj.) full of courage, 1870, from NERVE (Cf. nerve) + Y (Cf. y) (2). Sense of excitable is from 1891 … Etymology dictionary
nervy — [adj] bold, pushy cheeky*, crass, crude, forward, fresh*, impudent, inconsiderate, pert, plucky*, rude, sassy*, smart, smart alecky*, wise; concept 401 Ant. afraid, modest, shy, timid, unwilling … New thesaurus
nervy — ► ADJECTIVE (nervier, nerviest) 1) chiefly Brit. nervous or tense. 2) N. Amer. informal bold or impudent. DERIVATIVES nervily adverb nerviness noun … English terms dictionary
nervy — [nʉr′vē] adj. nervier, nerviest 1. Rare strong; vigorous; sinewy 2. Brit. nervous; excitable; jittery 3. full of courage; bold ☆ 4. Informal rudely bold; brazen; impudent nervily adv. nerviness n … English World dictionary
nervy — [[t]nɜ͟ː(r)vi[/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED If someone is nervy, their behaviour shows that they are very tense or anxious, or they are the type of person who is easily upset. [mainly BRIT] Sometimes dad was nice to us, but sometimes he was bad tempered and … English dictionary
nervy — nervily, adv. nerviness, n. /nerr vee/, adj., nervier, nerviest. 1. brashly presumptuous or insolent; pushy: a nervy thing to say; a nervy trick to pull. 2. having or showing courage; brave or bold: the nervy feats of the mountaineers. 3. strong; … Universalium
nervy — UK [ˈnɜː(r)vɪ] / US [ˈnɜrvɪ] adjective Word forms nervy : adjective nervy comparative nervier superlative nerviest informal 1) British worried and afraid a nervy and excitable group 2) a) American willing to do something although it might offend… … English dictionary
nervy — 1. mod. nervous. □ Mary is so nervy. Anything will set her off. □ Now, don’t get nervy. 2. mod. daring; courageous. □ What a nervy guy! □ Don’t get nervy with me … Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions
nervy — nerv|y [ nɜrvi ] adjective INFORMAL 1. ) AMERICAN willing to do something although it might offend someone: It was a bit nervy of me, I know, but I rushed to the front of the line. a ) rude and showing little respect for what people think or… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
