uptight

adjective

ˈəp-ˈtīt How to pronounce uptight (audio)
Definition of uptightnext
as in worried
feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty he has a tendency to fret and get uptight whenever his usual routine is disrupted

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 uptight Dabbling in this culinary staple is an antidote to uptight, disciplined design. — Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 29 May 2026 Monochromatic racks of product are matched by the store’s unsatisfied and underpaid employees, including a glam goth sales associate turned labor organizer, Violeta, played by Eiza Gonzalez and a hilariously uptight store manager Grayson, portrayed by Will Poulter. — Bianca Betancourt, CNN Money, 22 May 2026 So says Leslie Fremar, outing herself as the real-life inspiration for Emily, the uptight first assistant to fictional magazine editor Miranda Priestly. — Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026 The uptight, very serious good boy-captain. — ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for uptight
Recent Examples of Synonyms for uptight
  1. worried
  2. nervous
  3. upset
  4. anxious
  5. uneasy
  6. troubled
Adjective
  • The 18-year-old was sent to Adelanto ICE Detention Center in handcuffs, nearly a hundred miles away from his worried family members.
    — Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
  • Holmes is worried about old shingles and tiles in construction material that could have asbestos leaking into the water supply.
    — Mary Ella Hastings July 8, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 July 2026
Definition of worried
Adjective
  • The looming project was why Purohit was nervous to move her mother into Silverado last winter.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
  • For most of the last decade the threat argument was a transatlantic one, with a nervous eastern flank pulling against a distracted west.
    — Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of nervous
Adjective
  • Black children experience higher rates of lactose intolerance, which meant many of my kids went the entire school day without clean, safe drinking water and instead milk that gave them an upset stomach.
    — Joe Holberg, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026
  • Many party insiders thought Larson would cruise to victory at the party’s nominating convention, but Bronin pulled a stunning upset that sent shock waves through the Connecticut political establishment.
    — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 9 July 2026
Definition of upset
Adjective
  • Max is accompanied on his adventures by anxious robot C-3PO AB Sitter, and FX, a magical alien masquerading as a toy who can turn the kid's implausibly impressive sand sculptures into fully functioning robots.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 5 July 2026
  • America’s centennial in 1876 was celebrated with a grand exhibition that projected an image of national unity and inventiveness in the anxious aftermath of civil war and recession.
    — The New York Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026
Definition of anxious
Adjective
  • Now Gauff and her next opponent, Karolina Muchova, face off Thursday for a chance to transform their mutually uneasy relationships with the green blades beneath their feet into the biggest grass-court breakthrough of their careers.
    — Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • The result is a tension stretched nearly to the snapping point, then resolved in an uneasy detente.
    — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 6 July 2026
Definition of uneasy
Adjective
  • But the real anger belongs to the narrator herself, who berates herself for bringing a succession of troubled men into her son’s life.
    — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 9 July 2026
  • There’s also room to more deeply explore Queen Gertrude (Jodi Gage)’s role in the palace intrigue and her troubled relationship with her son.
    — Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026
Definition of troubled

Browse Nearby Words

upticks
uptight
up till
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Cite this Entry

“Uptight.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uptight. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

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