EGAVE

uptight

About 0.28 uses per million words.

Meaning

  1. adjective Excessively concerned with rules and order, always serious.
    Don't be so uptight! You won't go to jail for crossing the street against the light.
  2. adjective Emotionally repressed; nervous and tense.
  3. adjective Sexually repressed.
    He came from a very uptight religious background, but you wouldn't know that now!
  4. adjective Unfriendly or rude.
  5. noun An uptight person.

Similar words

overstrung restive high-strung nervy edgy jumpy jittery tense nervous in suspense

Often followed by

about and when or as to because with in

Word family

uptightness uptightnesses

Save “uptight” to learn later