uptight

[ uhp-tahyt ]
See synonyms for uptight on Thesaurus.com
adjectiveSlang.
  1. tense, nervous, or jittery.

  2. annoyed or angry.

  1. stiffly conventional in manner or attitudes.

Origin of uptight

1
1960–65, Americanism;up (perhaps as intensifier) + tight

Other words from uptight

  • up·tight·ness, noun

Words Nearby uptight

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use uptight in a sentence

  • She is slender, immaculately dressed, and—as Dr. Feldman could see immediately—rigid and very uptight about herself.

British Dictionary definitions for uptight

uptight

/ (ʌpˈtaɪt) /


adjectiveinformal
  1. displaying tense repressed nervousness, irritability, or anger

  2. unable to give expression to one's feelings, personality, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012