nervous nellie
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nervous Nellie¹
noun nervous Nellies · nervous nellie · Nervous Nellie · nervous nelly · nervous Nelly · Nervous Nelly
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A person whose personality and behavior are characterized by worry, insecurity, and timidity.
Political opponents doubted his capacity, referred to him as "too nervous, too worried a little man," and remarked that his Senatorial colleagues used to refer to him humorously as "Nervous Nellie."
Similar: jitterbug, nervous wreck, worrywart
nervous nellie²
noun nervous nellies
- Alternative spelling of nervous Nellie
Nervous Nellie³
noun Nervous Nellies
- Alternative spelling of nervous Nellie
Talk about this word "nervous nellie." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/nervous%20nellie. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. nervous nellie. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/nervous%20nellie "nervous nellie." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/nervous%20nellie.Cite this
@misc{nervous_nellie_2026,
title = {nervous nellie},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/nervous%20nellie},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
