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Synonyms
Examples of high-strung in a Sentence
a dog that tends to be high-strung is not the best pet for young children
Recent Examples on the Web
Her perception of things is a lot more high-strung than mine.
—Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 28 May 2024
In order to support her siblings, Tanya fakes her way into a fancy fashion job, working under the high-strung Rose Lindsey, played by a scene-stealing Nicole Richie in a series of statement blazers.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 26 Mar. 2024
Wood played many characters who were true-blue reliable, and others who were high-strung and neurotic.
—Tim Gray, Variety, 20 July 2023
During a high-profile, two-day NATO summit in Lithuania, intense wrangling that diplomats generally prefer to keep behind closed doors instead spilled into public view, revealing a relationship between Kyiv and Western capitals that can be high-strung, emotionally fraught and occasionally messy.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 12 July 2023
Certain warning lights might come uninvited, as modern supercars are notoriously high-strung and finicky.
—Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 7 July 2023
In the piece, Licht talked about how some of CNN's COVID coverage had been high-strung and lost touch with the country, a criticism that angered many in the newsroom.
—David Bauder, ajc, 7 June 2023
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Word History
First Known Use
1868, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near high-strung
Cite this Entry
“High-strung.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/high-strung. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
high-strung
adjective-ˈstreŋ
: very nervous or sensitive
a dog too high-strung for children
Medical Definition
high-strung
adjective
: having an extremely nervous or sensitive temperament
More from Merriam-Webster on high-strung
Nglish: Translation of high-strung for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of high-strung for Arabic Speakers
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