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
Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 17 Apr. 2026
The backstory This is the first hotel by Jaime Bravo, a Costa Rican hotelier who worked up the ranks of hospitality at the Ritz-Carlton in Hong Kong and a couple of boutique hotels in Tulum.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Apr. 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
Yet both players have a particular knack for getting their fan bases worked up by their flaws and inconsistencies.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 17 Apr. 2026
The backstory This is the first hotel by Jaime Bravo, a Costa Rican hotelier who worked up the ranks of hospitality at the Ritz-Carlton in Hong Kong and a couple of boutique hotels in Tulum.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for worked up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worked up
Verb
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The quiet interiors — defined by the revamp the stately building has undergone in the ‘50s — is characterized by an understated palette of neutral stone flooring and wooden furnishings, which were developed reusing existing materials.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
11 May 2026
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This tendency, called marcescence, may have developed a few million years ago to discourage large mammals from browsing on trees in winter due to the bitterness of the tannin-rich leaves surrounding buds.—
Luke Miller,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 May 2026
Adjective
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However, she is fed up with the unpredictability and tariff volatility that have become the norm.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
7 May 2026
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By February, the district court judge, Sunshine Sykes, was fed up.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 May 2026
Verb
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Grandfamilies, as these families sometimes call themselves, are almost always forged by tragic circumstances, whether abuse, neglect, addiction, arrest, or death.—
Casey Cep,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
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Hopeless but hearty, the Lakers forged ahead Thursday, and still clung to a one-point lead midway through the third quarter when the rickety wheels came completely off.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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The issue prompted an angry Trump to directly press Makary over the vapes decisions, two people familiar with the episode said.—
Sarah Owermohle,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
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Are some people angry that a children’s book author would cuss in an adult novel?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 May 2026
Verb
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No one person has incited violence, created divisions and preached hatred more than the current resident of the White House.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
10 May 2026
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Northern India already has some of the world’s most polluted air, created by a toxic mix of vehicle and industrial emissions, crop residue burning, and construction dust.—
Ayushi Shah,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
Adjective
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Last month, despite Orbán’s formidable, long-standing attempts to rig the legal and electoral systems in his favor, Magyar won, in a stunning upset.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
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Gunther was upset that Rhodes was taking his screen time.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
Verb
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Poliakoff could not say how much taller because that’s still being worked out.—
Susannah Bryan,
Sun Sentinel,
11 May 2026
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The first two haven’t worked out yet.—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Adjective
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The victim told police Walton became enraged over not receiving a tip, leading to an argument.—
Stepheny Price , Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
2 May 2026
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Rail workers press for tighter security Unions have been fighting to strengthen passenger rail workers' protections for nearly a decade, after several incidents like the 2017 shooting of a conductor by an enraged passenger at the train station in Naperville, Illinois.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Worked up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worked%20up. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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