nerve-racking

adjective

nerve-rack·​ing ˈnərv-ˌra-kiŋ 

variants or nerve-wracking

: extremely trying on the nerves

a nerve-racking ordeal

The job interview was a nerve-racking experience.

Synonyms

• agitating
• anxious
• creepy
• disquieting
• distressful
• distressing
• disturbing
• fraught
• hairy
• nail-biting
• nervous
• restless
• tense
• uneasy
• unnerving
• unsettling
• worrisome

Examples of nerve-racking in a Sentence

the nerve-racking wait to learn the identities of the passengers who were killed in the plane crash

Recent Examples on the Web

And the prospect of shaving it off was nerve-racking for the actress ,who also had to do it on camera. —Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024

Attending the 2024 Emmy Awards would be a nerve-racking experience for any celebrity guest—but for co-host Dan Levy, the stakes were that much higher. —Christian Allaire, Vogue, 16 Sep. 2024

None? Superman’s nerve-racking choice, a typical comic-book scenario, epitomizes the woozy and weighty mood of multiversal fiction. —Stephen Kearse, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2024

The film, penned by Reitman and Gil Kenan, chronicles the nerve-racking and chaotic 90 minutes that led up to that first show. —Diego Ramos Bechara, Variety, 9 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1812, in the meaning defined above