edgy

1 feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty <with an edgy voice the spelling-bee contestant started to spell the tongue twister> Synonyms aflutter, antsy, anxious, atwitter, dithery, nervous, goosey, het up, hinky [slang], hung up, ill at ease, insecure, jittery, jumpy, nervy, perturbed, queasy (also queazy), tense, troubled, uneasy, unquiet, upset, uptight, worriedRelated Words aggrieved, bothered, concerned, disquieted, distraught, distressed, disturbed, freaked, freaked-out, shook-up; apprehensive, foreboding, hesitant, misgiving; fretful, fretting, stewing, vexed; qualmish, qualmy; flustered, twittered, undone, unnerved, unstrung; obsessed, preoccupied, restless; fidgety, flighty, fluttery, high-strung, hypertense, skittish, spookyNear Antonyms confident, self-assured, self-confident, sure; controlled, self-controlledAntonyms calm, collected, cool, easy, happy-go-lucky, nerveless, relaxed

2 having an edge thin enough to cut or pierce something <be careful as you walk along the beach—those broken clam shells are edgy enough to cut your feet> Synonyms cutting, edged, sharp, ground, honed, keen, sharpened, stropped, trenchant, whettedRelated Words clawlike, daggerlike, knifelike; jabbing, jagged, lacerating, piercing, scratching, stabbing; pointed, pointy, spiky (also spikey)Near Antonyms rounded, smooth; soft; even, flat, level, slickAntonyms blunt, blunted, dull, dulled, obtuse

3 serving or likely to arouse a strong reaction <a director known for his edgy, over-the-top satires on modern life> Synonyms charged, provocative, exciting, inciting, instigating, instigative, piquing, provoking, stimulatingRelated Words explosive, fiery, incendiary, inflammatory, triggering; inducing, inspirational, inspiring, motivating, motivational, motivative; jeering, taunting, teasing; activating, energizing, galvanizing, quickening, vitalizing; angering, enraging, maddening, upsetting; aggravating, annoying, bothersome, exasperating, galling, irksome, irritating, pesky, vexatious, vexingNear Antonyms subduingAntonyms noninflammatory