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het up

adjective

ˈhet-ˈəp How to pronounce het up (audio)
Definition of het upnext
as in worried
feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty it won't do you any good to get all het up before the tryouts and lose sleep

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of het up As for the airport tray aesthetic, while people might be getting het up at the idea of Gen Z holding up the line for some navel-gazing, the US Transport Security Administration is sanguine about the risk. — Maureen O'Hare, CNN, 8 Sep. 2024 Something about unfolding Bennifer events, this rekindling of an old flame, has got all of us het up. — Raven Smith, Vogue, 16 June 2021 In a normal December, people would be more concerned with the holidays and a busy schedule and wouldn't get this het up with Congress. — Arkansas Online, 28 Dec. 2020 Cultural appropriation is one of the issues that gets hft most het up. — Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for het up
  1. worried
  2. upset
  3. anxious
  4. nervous
  5. ill at ease
  6. troubled
  7. uneasy
Adjective
  • Teams — worried about how a politically defiant Black quarterback on the roster would impact their bottom lines — over the next several seasons signed dozens of inferior quarterbacks to round out their depth charts.
    — Mike Jones, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Los Angeles’ identity and workers’ livelihoods are at stake, say worried residents who fear that Paramount will leave the state.
    — Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of worried
Adjective
  • An upset win would not have redefined Miami as anything but a team taking necessary steps up from the foot of a mountain.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2026
  • First elected in 2020 in an upset race, Raman is running close to Bass in the Mayoral polls, and has seen an uptick as the campaign has kicked into post-summer high-gear.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of upset
Adjective
  • There were maybe a few extra news crews reporting on the show as people filed in and out, but if Sheeran hadn’t brought it up, the crowd did not seem like one particularly anxious about any elephant in the room.
    — Brendan Menapace, Billboard, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Dislodging these forces from the machinery of the state has been neither swift nor straightforward, and even those most anxious for change are hard-pressed to offer practical solutions.
    — Will Freeman, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of anxious
Adjective
  • One grandmother initially didn’t understand what the couple was asking, while two were a little nervous about taking on a role traditionally given to children.
    — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026
  • But one area that has Chiefs fans a little nervous is the offensive line that will be tasked with keeping Mahomes upright.
    — Scott Chasen, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of nervous
Adjective
  • Dr Hoggett’s office was in a hospital across town, a building with long corridors, low ceilings, handwashing stations and works of art that were at once innocuous and ill at ease.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The squad were simultaneously in awe, and ill at ease.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 17 June 2026
Definition of ill at ease
Adjective
  • White’s Jimmy Hurdstrom is a good-hearted yet rough-around-the-edges ranch hand who evolved from a troubled criminal into a resilient, proud cowboy.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The second follows Hadley Baxter, a troubled actress who has signed on to star in a biopic of Graves after her journal from the grand flight is found.
    — David Faris, TheWeek, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of troubled
Adjective
  • Sam Altman is leading OpenAI through perhaps the most consequential—and uneasy—moment in artificial intelligence yet.
    — Fortune Editors, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026
  • In a desperate race against time, Rosalind and Sean are forced into an uneasy alliance, fighting to save her husband and expose a global trafficking empire that eliminates anyone who tries to stop it.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of uneasy

Browse Nearby Words

heteronomy
het up
hew
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Cite this Entry

“Het up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/het%20up. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

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