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
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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
So why has the Chanel version gotten people so het up?
—New York Times, 6 Dec. 2021
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
Maureen O'Hare, CNN, 8 Sep. 2024
So why has the Chanel version gotten people so het up?
—New York Times, 6 Dec. 2021
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for het up
Adjective
-
Kyoto, Japan — Nancy Higginbotham wasn’t worried when her 20-year-old son got on a train by himself during their family vacation in Japan.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
-
Farmers are now worried the beef industry could be on the fritz for a while.—
Justin Klawans,
TheWeek,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Brueggmann was more than good Friday, lifting the Warriors to a 2-1 upset victory over Marist in a Class 4A state semifinal game at Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria.—
Tony Baranek,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2026
-
According to the standings, this wasn’t much of an upset.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
Adjective
-
Unlike the coolly impassive Pop artists, the Who weren’t afraid to get personal, or to let their art echo the anxious, kinky, maladjusted yammering in their own heads.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
-
In Rio, the runner was an anxious up-and-comer, the youngest American track-and-field Olympian since 1972.—
Katie Abel,
Footwear News,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
Spinella shucks off sentimentality, always showing us Con’s offhand humor and sometimes nervous, defensive rambling.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
-
Companies start to get nervous when the percentage of shareholders blessing their pay plans dips well below the average, which is slightly above 90%, said Elizabeth Bieber, partner at the law firm Freshfields who leads shareholder engagement.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
Of course, no guest wants to dine at the home of a host whose off-putting etiquette makes everyone feel ill at ease either.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Southern Living,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Both were a byword, too, for male beauty, fully alive to the almost laughable impact of their handsomeness, yet ill at ease, now and then, with their perches on the pedestal.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Emmanuel co-stars as Detective Doran, an officer assigned to shadow Grimes, with Greenwood playing Henry Monroe, the therapist Grimes is mandated to see, whose sessions begin to reveal the detective’s troubled past.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
1 June 2026
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The discoveries, announced Sunday, are part of the Egyptian government’s efforts to boost the country’s tourism industry and bring cash to the troubled economy.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
Until these vexing unknowns are figured out, AI for mental health will be in an uneasy position and subject to strident criticisms and concerns.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
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Other Western media outlets, meanwhile, are growing more uneasy about what possible interviews with Lai could mean for their presence in China, The Associated Press reported.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Het up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/het%20up. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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