as in wrought (up)
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as in developed
to produce or bring about especially by long or repeated effort
spent years working up a period novel that was historically accurate in every detail
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of worked up
Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 10 Dec. 2025
Chicago — its fans, its organization and yes, its writers — has clung to that era as tightly as Toews and Kane clung to the Stanley Cup in that famous photo, because there’s been so little else to get worked up about.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 6 Mar. 2026
It is being worked up with Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment having garnered a whopping 160M views on Webtoon.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for worked up
Adjective
Washington School House Hotel is located atop Park Avenue, moments from Main Street, and provides complimentary après-ski fare in the living room for outdoor enthusiasts who have worked up an appetite.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 10 Dec. 2025
Chicago — its fans, its organization and yes, its writers — has clung to that era as tightly as Toews and Kane clung to the Stanley Cup in that famous photo, because there’s been so little else to get worked up about.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
For years, corrections officers at Louisville’s jail have consistently worked up to 16 hours of overtime each week due to staff shortages.
—Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 6 Mar. 2026
It is being worked up with Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment having garnered a whopping 160M views on Webtoon.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for worked up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worked up
Verb
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In her time working in the Bon Appétit and Epicurious Test Kitchen, Zaynab Issa developed almost 100 recipes.—
Nina Moskowitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
21 Apr. 2026
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Researchers at Harvard have developed a fleet of robotic ants that mimic the self-organizing behavior of social insects to build and dismantle structures without blueprints or central leadership.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Even so, what’s known as The Montana Plan is being taken seriously by legal scholars and national political figures fed up with the corrupting influence of money.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Apr. 2026
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The New Jersey agency's announcement Monday should be good news for commuters, who remain fed up with delays and are bracing for another brutal summer on the rails.—
Nick Caloway,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Police said the couple spent more than $17,000 on O’Neill’s debit card and someone forged his signature on a car title after his death.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
17 Apr. 2026
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By minting a cryptographically perfect digital signature based on MD5, the attackers forged a certificate that authenticated their malicious update server.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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One of them, Amy, a blond child with limp ponytails and a thin dress that looks like it might have been stained, stands outside a porch door, her fists balled up, mouth open, angry or unhappy or both.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
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Adames looked more perturbed than angry, putting his hands on his hips before taking off his helmet and slowly walking to first base.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
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The artist created devotional scenes representing the fourteen Stations of the Cross.—
Douglas Stuart,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Esther said that Kim was upset about McCormick's bizarre behavior.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
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The demonstrations have been primarily instigated by farmers, agricultural contractors and road haulage operators, who are upset with the government’s response to the spike in fuel prices since the onset of the Iran war.—
Michael Considine,
CNBC,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The 22-year-old from Nigeria declared for the 2025 draft and worked out for teams, but was not invited to the combine.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
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The proton motive force that drives the flagellar motor was proposed in 1961 by Peter Mitchell, a biochemist who worked out of his own private lab at a country estate in Cornwall, England.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The case dragged on for years, and the family became enraged when former District Attorney Pamela Price attempted to downgrade the charges against the three men.—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
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Shortly after administering the technical to an enraged Self, referee Doug Sirmons hit KU’s coach with another tech, ostensibly for remaining on the court instead of returning to the coach’s box.—
Gary Bedore
March 5,
Kansas City Star,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Worked up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worked%20up. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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