uptight

adjective
UK: /ˌʌpˈtaɪt/
US: /ˌʌpˈtaɪt/

  1. Very anxious, worried, or nervous and not able to relax.

    1. She gets really uptight before exams, and it's hard for her to focus.
    2. Don't get so uptight about being on time just relax and enjoy the journey.

  2. Very worried or nervous about what other people think of you; excessively concerned with rules or proper behavior.

    1. He's too uptight to ever just let loose and have fun at a party.
    2. The new manager is very uptight about following company policy to the letter.

Synonyms

tense prim stiff anxious prudish nervous stressed
uptight adverb

  1. In a tense or nervous manner.

    1. She was acting uptight, I couldn't understand why.
    2. He behaved uptight during the meeting because of the rumors of the layoffs.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "uptight" in English means: Very anxious, worried, or nervous and not able to relax., Very worried or nervous about what other people think of you; excessively concerned with rules or proper behavior..

The phonetic transcription of "uptight" is /ˌʌpˈtaɪt/ in British English and /ˌʌpˈtaɪt/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "uptight": tense, prim, stiff, anxious, prudish, nervous, stressed.

Example usage of "uptight": "She gets really uptight before exams, and it's hard for her to focus.". More examples on the page.