uptight

adjective

up·​tight ˈəp-ˈtīt 

(ˌ)əp-ˈtīt

1

a

: being tense, nervous, or uneasy

uptight overachievers

b

: angry, indignant

getting uptight over little things

c

: rigidly conventional

an uptight conservative

2

: being in financial difficulties

uptightness

(ˌ)əp-ˈtīt-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of uptight

• worried
• nervous
• upset
• anxious
• uneasy
• troubled

Examples of uptight in a Sentence

If our flight is delayed, there's nothing we can do. There's no reason to get so uptight about it.

I don't know why people are so uptight about sex.

Recent Examples on the Web

And the duo’s domestic bliss is interrupted by the arrival of a third party — their older sister Ruthie (Stephanie Hsu), an uptight lawyer whose midlife crisis brings her down to her brother and sister’s level. — Alison Herman, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026

With Mason Gooding, Chase Sui Wonders, Daveed Diggs, and pop star Charli XCX playing against type as Elliot’s uptight girlfriend. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 31 July 2026

Could anyone else be as uptight as Alan Ruck’s Cameron in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 21 July 2026

Will such scrutiny, in the end, make players uptight or liberate them? — Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1934, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for uptight

• affright
• airtight
• albite
• alight
• alright
• aplite
• aright
• bainite
• birthright
• bobwhite
• bornite
• bullfight

Kids Definition

uptight

adjective

up·​tight ˈəp-ˈtīt 

(ˌ)əp-ˈtīt, 

ˌəp-ˌtīt

: being tense, nervous, or uneasy