worked up 1 of 2

Definition of worked upnext

worked up

2 of 2

verb

past tense of work up

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 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
Putting words on the page seems too low stakes to get worked up about, and yet the terror of saying something taboo—or just being boring—feels like a terrible fate to most writers. David O’Neill, New Yorker, 20 May 2026 Thou shalt not get too worked up about the chat! Sam Reed, Glamour, 18 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for worked up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worked up
Adjective
  • Baltimore County parents say they are fed up with the public school district after several busing problems during the first week and a half of school.
    Tara Lynch, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Republicans are getting pretty fed up with their Senate nominee in Texas, state attorney general Ken Paxton.
    W. James Antle III, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Questions remain about how many people developed health problems linked to the dust.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Sep. 2026
  • The technology is also being developed with manufacturability in mind.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 12 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Why would anyone want to do this in a game about an angry, unkillable mutant with claws sharp enough to cut through space-time?
    Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Seehorn carried a heavy load as its lead, playing a sad, angry woman forced to save the world from happiness and the hive mind.
    Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The look was one of many red carpet moments between the designer and actress who’s forged a bond over big dreams, fantasy and an enduring childlike wonder that continues to inform their work.
    Kathy Lee, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Like many others in Kyiv, the couple decided the attacks would not derail their lives and forged ahead with the ceremony.
    ABC News, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • An upset win would not have redefined Miami as anything but a team taking necessary steps up from the foot of a mountain.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2026
  • First elected in 2020 in an upset race, Raman is running close to Bass in the Mayoral polls, and has seen an uptick as the campaign has kicked into post-summer high-gear.
    Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The use of chemical weapons would add to mounting human rights abuses and atrocities by both sides in a war that has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
    Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 6 Sep. 2026
  • In May 2020, Naming the Lost, a public art project, created temporary memorials to casualties in all five boroughs.
    Robert W. Snyder, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Imagine the ripe smell of swamp-wet dogs, the acrid stench of overheated, enraged bear, the slippery warm blood of pack members already lost; the simply insufferable noise and confusion in that dank little hole.
    Paul Schullery, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026
  • As a consequence, Nadia’s enraged sponsors send her packing back to Europe.
    Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The news comes one day after defensive end Zxavian Harris reportedly worked out for the Green Bay Packers on Tuesday.
    Chris Vannini, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • New York's congressional delegation insisted 9/11 victim compensation be worked out before the airlines get their wishes fulfilled.
    Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 11 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Worked up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worked%20up. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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