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
Nathaniel Rich, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Companies worked up and down the supply chain to ensure readiness.
—Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
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
By the end of the photo shoot, the hunting party had worked up an appetite.
—Nathaniel Rich, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Companies worked up and down the supply chain to ensure readiness.
—Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for worked up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worked up
Verb
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In 2024, when the biennial count showed an increase in unhoused young adults ages 18 to 24, for example, Heyhoe said advocates developed a new pilot program aimed at preventing youth homelessness.—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
27 Jan. 2026
-
My political thought developed at a different time than my father’s, with different influences.—
Gaby Iori
January 27,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
One neighbor says she's fed up.—
Alysia Burgio,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
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But regular people are already getting fed up.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Kraft Heinz is preparing to break up later this year, undoing much of the merger forged more than a decade ago by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway and private equity firm 3G Capital.—
Amelia Lucas,
CNBC,
31 Jan. 2026
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There’s a wry grace to this misadventure-palooza, forged in the key of melancholic mid-career Woody Allen but with variations on those themes which achieve their own pointedly funny clarity, especially where Ubeimar Rios’ all-time portrayal of a sad sack is concerned.—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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These agents are recruited from among angry white males enticed by a signup bonus of $50,000.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
30 Jan. 2026
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The video is just as angry as the song’s lyrics and delivery, cutting disturbing (but not graphic) footage from ICE’s clashes with demonstrators in the city with Springsteen performing the song in his home studio.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Robert Gleason, lead of parent advisory at the Rady Gender Clinic, noted that San Diego’s only medical center dedicated to serving children and adolescents created the resource only a decade ago and only after many years of advocacy from families.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Jan. 2026
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By combining simple materials with smart engineering, MIT researchers created a tool that could save lives without lingering in the body.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
25 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Buss reportedly was upset with the way James dismissed his part in pursuing Westbrook and blamed others after the move failed, according to ESPN.—
Janis Carr,
Oc Register,
23 Jan. 2026
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The 14-year-old’s girlfriend told investigators that Givens had threatened over Snapchat to kill her 1½-year-old son and that the 14-year-old was upset about it, the complaint says.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That’s worked out wonderfully for Green, who recently signed a new five-year deal with WWE and continues to do great work on TV week in and week out.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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Research shows that women who worked out in the morning reduced their post-workout blood pressure.—
Health Editorial Team,
Health,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
And why did that treatment — at least initially — leave Zverev so enraged?—
Eduardo Tansley,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2026
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This doesn’t mean enraged outbursts or accusatory monologues.—
Molly Burrets,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Worked up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worked%20up. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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