uptight

adjective

up·​tight ˈəp-ˈtīt 

(ˌ)əp-ˈtīt

1

a

: being tense, nervous, or uneasy

uptight overachievers

b

: angry, indignant

c

: rigidly conventional

an uptight conservative

2

: being in financial difficulties

uptightness

(ˌ)əp-ˈtīt-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• aflutter
• antsy
• anxious
• atwitter
• dithery
• edgy
• goosey
• het up
• hinky [slang]
• hung up
• ill at ease
• insecure
• jittery
• jumpy
• nervous
• nervy
• perturbed
• queasy
• queazy
• tense
• troubled
• uneasy
• unquiet
• upset
• worried

Examples of uptight in a Sentence

If our flight is delayed, there's nothing we can do. There's no reason to get so uptight about it.

I don't know why people are so uptight about sex.

Recent Examples on the Web

Though Bowen Yang and Ego Nwodim’s TSA security guards played hosts of the pageant, Short also appeared as the uptight Delta Lounge employee, preventing figures such as Rudd from entering. —Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 22 Dec. 2024

Her ex-husband and current bestie, Mark (Joe Piazza), is planning a Christmas wedding to an uptight fiancé who may demote Jane from BFF status. —Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2024

His Benji is the filter-free, flaky polar opposite of his uptight cousin David, played by writer-director Jesse Eisenberg, and the odd-couple dynamic of their early scenes is hilariously spiky. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Dec. 2024

Some people are really uptight but Marty was just so easy to talk to. —Jean E. Palmieri, WWD, 3 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1934, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

uptight

adjective

up·​tight ˈəp-ˈtīt 

(ˌ)əp-ˈtīt,

ˌəp-ˌtīt

: being tense, nervous, or uneasy