nervous wreck

This page is about the collocation nervous wreck

collocation pattern: adjective + noun

Meaning

a person who's very stressed or nervous

For example

  • Jim's a great singer, but he's always a nervous wreck before he goes on stage.

  • Diana was a nervous wreck for at least a week before her wedding.

Note:
A more formal collocation is "nervous exhaustion", as in "She's been suffering from nervous exhaustion".

Quick Quiz

Which could be called a "nervous wreck"?

a. an accident caused by a nervous person

b. a person showing signs of stress

c. a nerve showing signs of stress
a) an accident caused by a nervous person b) a person showing signs of stress c) a nerve showing signs of stress

Contributor: Matt Errey