UPTIGHT Synonyms: 77 Similar and Opposite Words

uptight

adjective

ˈəp-ˈtīt

Definition of uptight

as in worried

feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty he has a tendency to fret and get uptight whenever his usual routine is disrupted

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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 uptight Anna and Tom’s daughter, Natalie (Lily Collias), views Cady as a source who might finally tell her the truth about her uptight mother and avoidant stepfather. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 26 June 2026 The film’s director, uptight Euro expat Max (Christoph Waltz), is initially enraged by their hijacking of the shoot, but his studio fatcat bosses (both voiced by Jeff Bridges) love the unhinged results. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 22 June 2026 After granting his request to aid his cause, Sharako insists that the uptight Lannister prove his worth by wrestling her in a mud pit. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 21 June 2026 Dabbling in this culinary staple is an antidote to uptight, disciplined design. — Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 29 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for uptight

Recent Examples of Synonyms for uptight

Adjective

When Republican lawmakers secured cuts to the United States' largest food assistance program last year, Paige Shoemaker DeMio wasn't worried about children going hungry just at home — but at school.

— Juliana Kim, NPR, 3 Sep. 2026
Mattfeld is excellent in what could easily have been a thankless role, playing Ricky with the mien of someone who is always holding it together, years of disappointment and condescension and expectation keeping her eyes worried and jaw tight.

— Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of worried

Adjective

The letter writer is almost 40 and nervous about living with a romantic partner for the first time.

— Shane O’Neill, Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2026
That energy spike is reinforcing inflation worries in a bond market already nervous about America’s $40 trillion mountain of debt.

— Matt Egan, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of nervous

Adjective

As the video popped up on social media and the Spanish-language Facebook group Danbury Al Dia, Hernandez grew uneasy.

— Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 31 Aug. 2026
In addition to Cima and her father, the film centers on Hig and Bangley (Josh Brolin), two very different men whose uneasy partnership is shaped by the harsh realities of their new world.

— Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of uneasy

Adjective

The engaging biopic tracks Davidson's troubled upbringing to finding a way as an adult to deal with his condition and discover needed confidence.

— Brian Truitt, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Watching myself in the insightful new doc Boorman and the Devil, about the troubled 1977 sequel to The Exorcist, was a very strange experience.

— Britina Cheng, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of troubled

Browse Nearby Words

upticks

uptight

up till

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“Uptight.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uptight. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of uptight

adjective

Example Sentences

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