What is another word for uptight?
892 synonyms found
How to be more uptight?
What does uptight mean?
What does the word up tight mean?
Pronunciation:
[ ʌptˈa͡ɪt], [ ʌptˈaɪt], [ ʌ_p_t_ˈaɪ_t]
If you're feeling tense or anxious, finding synonyms for the word "uptight" may just help you express your feelings more accurately. Some similar words that come to mind include "nervous", "anxious", "worried", and "stressed". Others might use "edgy", "jittery", "fidgety" or "on edge" to describe their state of mind. More formal vocabulary words that could fit are "apprehensive," "agitated", "unctuous" and "tense". Some people might use words like "clenched" or "constricted" to describe their physical sensations, while others might say they feel "stiff" or "rigid". Regardless of which synonym you choose to use, remember to take care of yourself and find ways to relax and destress.
Related words: uptight meaning, uptight synonyms, uptight antonyms, uptight definition, what does uptight mean, is uptight an adjective, how to be uptight
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Table of Contents
Similar words for uptight:
- defensive (adjective)
- disagreeable (adjective)
- frightened (adjective)
- overwrought (adjective)
- querulous (adjective)
- restrained (adjective)
- strained (adjective)
- sullen (adjective)
- worried (adjective)
- angry (adjective)
- anxious (adjective)
- apprehensive (adjective)
- concerned (adjective)
- conventional (adjective)
- distressed (adjective)
- distrustful (adjective)
- edgy (adjective)
- incensed (adjective)
- inhibited (adjective)
- insecure (adjective)
- intimate (adjective)
- irascible (adjective)
- jittery (adjective)
- mistrustful (adjective)
- nervous (adjective)
- neurotic (adjective)
- on edge (adjective)
- petulant (adjective)
- prudish (adjective)
- restive (adjective)
- reticent (adjective)
- strait-laced (adjective)
- strict (adjective)
- suspicious (adjective)
- tense (adjective)
- touchy (adjective)
- twitchy (adjective)
- unbending (adjective)
- untrusting (adjective)
Synonyms for Uptight:
-
adj.
• defensive- coping with ,
- in opposition ,
- de fending ,
- de-fending ,
- fore stalling ,
- fore-stalling ,
- more averting ,
- more balking ,
- more checking ,
- more defending ,
- more foiling ,
- more forestalling ,
- more frustrating ,
- more guarding ,
- more interrupting ,
- more protecting ,
- more safeguarding ,
- more thwarting ,
- more withstanding ,
- most checking ,
- most defending ,
- most foiling ,
- most forestalling ,
- most frustrating ,
- most guarding ,
- most interrupting ,
- most protecting ,
- most safeguarding ,
- most thwarting ,
- most withstanding ,
- with standing ,
- with-standing .
- Chicken-hearted ,
- having kittens ,
- in a panic ,
- pushing the panic button ,
- rabbity ,
- scared stiff ,
- terror-stricken ,
- unnerved .
- all shook up ,
- fired-up ,
- freaked-out ,
- hot under collar ,
- hot-and-bothered ,
- keyed-up ,
- over-wrought ,
- strung-out ,
- worked-up ,
- wound-up ,
- firedup ,
- freakedout ,
- keyedup ,
- more fired up ,
- more fired-up ,
- more firedup ,
- more freaked-out ,
- more freakedout ,
- more hot and bothered ,
- more hot-and-bothered ,
- more keyed up ,
- more keyed-up ,
- more keyedup ,
- more stirred ,
- more strung-out ,
- more strungout ,
- more worked up ,
- more worked-up ,
- more workedup ,
- more wound up ,
- more wound-up ,
- most fired up ,
- most fired-up ,
- most firedup ,
- most freaked-out ,
- most freakedout ,
- most hot and bothered ,
- most hot-and-bothered ,
- most keyed up ,
- most keyed-up ,
- most keyedup ,
- most stirred ,
- most strung out ,
- most strung-out ,
- most strungout ,
- most worked up ,
- most worked-up ,
- most workedup ,
- most wound up ,
- most wound-up ,
- over excited ,
- over worked ,
- over-worked ,
- strungout ,
- workedup ,
- woundup .
- grousing ,
- huffy irascible ,
- out of sorts peevish ,
- thin-skinned touchy ,
- waspy ,
- Grumbly ,
- grumbling ,
- wailing .
- Unaffable ,
- calm and collected ,
- corked up ,
- in charge ,
- in check ,
- laid back ,
- on a leash ,
- on leash ,
- under control ,
- unexcessive ,
- unexpansive ,
- unextreme ,
- under wraps .
- pouty ,
- sourpussed ,
- more glowering ,
- more sourpussed ,
- more sulking ,
- most glowering ,
- most sourpussed ,
- most sulking ,
- poutier ,
- poutiest ,
- un-sociable .
- dis quieted ,
- dis-quieted ,
- in state ,
- in tizzy ,
- more bugged ,
- more butterflies ,
- more choked ,
- more clutched ,
- more disquieted ,
- more dreading ,
- more hacked ,
- more hyper ,
- more spooked ,
- more unglued ,
- most bugged ,
- most butterflies ,
- most choked ,
- most clutched ,
- most disquieted ,
- most dreading ,
- most hacked ,
- most spooked ,
- most unglued ,
- shot pieces ,
- un easier ,
- un easiest ,
- un easy ,
- un glued ,
- un quiet ,
- un-easier ,
- un-easiest ,
- un-glued ,
- un-quiet ,
- un-quietest ,
- wreckest .
- feel bones ,
- fore boding ,
- fore-boding ,
- have cold feet ,
- have hunch ,
- in cold sweat ,
- in dither ,
- in sweat ,
- lily livered ,
- lilylivered ,
- more foreboding ,
- more jellyfish ,
- more scaredy cat ,
- more scaredy-cat ,
- more scaredycat ,
- most foreboding ,
- most jellyfish ,
- most scaredy cat ,
- most scaredy-cat ,
- most scaredycat ,
- scaredycat ,
- un-easy ,
- weakest ,
- worried sick .
- biting one nails ,
- biting ones nails ,
- butterflies stomach ,
- in stew ,
- more exercised ,
- most exercised ,
- on pins needles ,
- tied in knots ,
- tied knots ,
- tied up knots ,
- up-set .
- de mure ,
- de-mure ,
- hidebound ,
- in flexible ,
- in-flexible ,
- lamest ,
- more doctrinal ,
- more isolationist ,
- more straight laced ,
- more straight-laced ,
- more straightlaced ,
- most doctrinal ,
- most isolationist ,
- most straight laced ,
- most straight-laced ,
- most straightlaced ,
- narrow minded ,
- narrowminded ,
- obstinate ,
- rube ,
- rubest ,
- stereo typed ,
- stereo-typed ,
- straight laced .
- bundle nerves ,
- dis trait ,
- dis tressed ,
- dis-trait ,
- dis-tressed ,
- in-consolable ,
- more dragged ,
- more harassed ,
- more ripped ,
- more saddened ,
- more tormented ,
- more unconsolable ,
- most dragged ,
- most harassed ,
- most ripped ,
- most tormented ,
- most unconsolable ,
- shookest ,
- un consolable ,
- un-consolable ,
- up wall .
- ex citable ,
- ex cited ,
- ex-citable ,
- ex-cited ,
- high strung ,
- highstrung ,
- ill ease ,
- more overstrung ,
- most overstrung ,
- over strung ,
- over-strung ,
- overstrung .
- at end of one rope ,
- at end of ones rope ,
- at end one rope ,
- at end one's rope ,
- at end ones rope ,
- at end rope ,
- hot bothered ,
- in censed ,
- in-censed ,
- more buffaloed ,
- more rousted ,
- most buffaloed ,
- most rousted ,
- on warpath ,
- up arms .
- more repressed ,
- most repressed ,
- re pressed ,
- re served ,
- re-pressed ,
- re-served ,
- self conscious ,
- selfconscious ,
- un demonstrative ,
- un responsive ,
- un-demonstrative ,
- un-responsive ,
- with drawn ,
- with-drawn .
- in secure ,
- in securer ,
- in securest ,
- in-secure ,
- in-securer ,
- in-securest ,
- more delphic ,
- more questioning ,
- more unconfident ,
- more unpoised ,
- most delphic ,
- most questioning ,
- most unassured ,
- touch go ,
- un assured ,
- un confident ,
- un poised ,
- un sure ,
- un-assured ,
- un-confident ,
- un-poised ,
- un-sure ,
- up air ,
- up in air ,
- up the air .
- de tailed ,
- de-tailed ,
- deep seated ,
- deepseated ,
- in born ,
- in bred ,
- in dwelling ,
- in most ,
- in-born ,
- in-bred ,
- in-dwelling ,
- in-grained ,
- in-most ,
- indwelling ,
- inmost ,
- inner most ,
- inner-most ,
- more viscerous ,
- most viscerous ,
- pro found ,
- pro founder ,
- pro-found ,
- pro-founder ,
- trusted .
- hot tempered ,
- more bearish ,
- most bearish ,
- ogrer ,
- ogrest ,
- quick tempered ,
- quicktempered ,
- short tempered ,
- shorttempered ,
- thin skinned ,
- thinskinned .
- dis ordered ,
- dis oriented ,
- dis-ordered ,
- dis-oriented ,
- more hysteric ,
- more obsessive ,
- more psychoneurotic ,
- most hysteric ,
- most manic ,
- most obsessive ,
- most psychoneurotic ,
- obsessive ,
- psycho neurotic ,
- psycho-neurotic ,
- un healthier ,
- un healthiest ,
- un healthy ,
- un stable ,
- un stabler ,
- un stablest ,
- un-healthiest ,
- un-healthy ,
- un-stable ,
- un-stabler ,
- un-stablest .
- more overanxious ,
- more stressful ,
- most hyper ,
- most overanxious ,
- most stressful ,
- nerve racking ,
- nerveracking ,
- over anxious .
- bad tempered ,
- badtempered ,
- fault finding ,
- ill humored ,
- illhumored ,
- more caviling ,
- more ill humored ,
- more ill-humored ,
- more illhumored ,
- more whining ,
- most caviling ,
- most crybaby ,
- most ill humored ,
- most ill-humored ,
- most illhumored ,
- most whining .
- more overexact ,
- more overmodest ,
- more simpering ,
- most overmodest ,
- most overnice ,
- most simpering ,
- over exact ,
- over modest ,
- over nice ,
- over-exact .
- close mouthed ,
- more unforthcoming ,
- more unspeaking ,
- most unforthcoming ,
- most unspeaking ,
- tight lipped ,
- un forthcoming ,
- un speaking ,
- un-communicative ,
- un-forthcoming ,
- un-speaking .
- ex acting ,
- ex-acting ,
- hard boiled ,
- more iron-fisted ,
- more ironfisted ,
- more stickling ,
- more unpermissive ,
- most iron fisted ,
- most iron-fisted ,
- most ironfisted ,
- most stickling ,
- most unpermissive ,
- nononsense ,
- un permissive ,
- un-permissive .
- greeneyed ,
- in credulous ,
- in-credulous ,
- most suspecting ,
- not born yesterday lookout ,
- not born yesterday on lookout ,
- not born yesterday the lookout ,
- un believing ,
- un-believing .
- hyper-sensitive ,
- more hypersensitive ,
- more oversensitive ,
- more perturbable ,
- most hypersensitive ,
- most oversensitive ,
- most perturbable ,
- pre carious ,
- pre-carious ,
- un predictable ,
- un safe ,
- un safer ,
- un safest ,
- un-predictable ,
- un-safe ,
- un-safer ,
- un-safest .
- Unswayable ,
- do die ,
- hardline ,
- hold fort ,
- hold line ,
- hold one ground ,
- hold ones ground ,
- in compliant ,
- in elastic ,
- in tractable ,
- in-compliant ,
- in-elastic ,
- in-exorable ,
- in-tractable ,
- more unflexible ,
- more unswayable ,
- most unflexible ,
- most unswayable ,
- re solute ,
- re-solute ,
- set stone ,
- single minded ,
- standing ground ,
- standing one ground ,
- standing one's ground ,
- standing ones ground ,
- sticking guns ,
- sticking one guns ,
- sticking one's guns ,
- sticking ones guns ,
- sticking to guns ,
- sticking to one guns ,
- sticking to ones guns ,
- un bending ,
- un compromising ,
- un flexible ,
- un relenting ,
- un swayable ,
- un-bending ,
- un-compromising ,
- un-flexible ,
- un-swayable .
Other synonyms:
- twitchy .
- nervous .
- restless .
Other relevant words:
- edge .
- a bundle of nerves ,
- abashed ,
- accordant ,
- aflutter ,
- agitated ,
- alarmed ,
- all a-twitter ,
- all wound up ,
- aloof ,
- anal ,
- angry ,
- antsy ,
- anxious ,
- apprehensive ,
- ascetic ,
- austere ,
- bad-tempered ,
- bigoted ,
- bold ,
- bourgeois ,
- brash ,
- bumpy ,
- cautious ,
- ceremonious ,
- cheeky ,
- chilly ,
- cold ,
- compulsive ,
- concerned ,
- concordant ,
- conformist ,
- conservative ,
- conventional ,
- corresponding ,
- crabbed ,
- defensive ,
- disapproving ,
- disquieted ,
- distracted ,
- distressed ,
- distrustful ,
- disturbed ,
- dithery ,
- doubtful ,
- driven ,
- embarrassed ,
- emotional ,
- excitable ,
- fearful ,
- feverish ,
- flappable ,
- flustered ,
- forced ,
- formal ,
- formalistic ,
- fractious ,
- frantic ,
- frenetic ,
- frenzied ,
- fretful ,
- frightened ,
- fuddy-duddy ,
- hard-line ,
- hard-nosed ,
- harmonious ,
- haughty ,
- hot-tempered ,
- hotheaded ,
- hyper ,
- hysterical ,
- ill at ease ,
- impetuous ,
- impulsive ,
- in a dither ,
- in a flap ,
- in a stew ,
- in a sweat ,
- in a tizzy ,
- in accord ,
- in keeping ,
- in line ,
- inhibited ,
- insecure ,
- intense ,
- intimate ,
- intolerant ,
- irascible ,
- irritable ,
- itchy ,
- jolting ,
- jolty ,
- kosher ,
- mannered ,
- mistrustful ,
- moody ,
- moralistic ,
- narrow-minded ,
- neurotic ,
- niminy-piminy ,
- old fashioned ,
- old-fogyish ,
- on edge ,
- on tenterhooks ,
- on the defensive ,
- orthodox ,
- overexcited ,
- overwrought ,
- pedantic ,
- peevish ,
- perturbed ,
- petulant ,
- pietistic ,
- plastic ,
- pompous ,
- prickly ,
- priggish ,
- prim ,
- proper ,
- prudish ,
- puritan ,
- puritanical ,
- queasy ,
- querulous ,
- repressed ,
- reserved ,
- restrained ,
- reticent ,
- right-wing ,
- rigid ,
- rocky ,
- rough ,
- ruffled ,
- scared ,
- self-centred ,
- self-conscious ,
- self-important ,
- sensitive ,
- severe ,
- shaky ,
- shameless ,
- short-tempered ,
- shy ,
- snobbish ,
- snooty ,
- spirited ,
- square ,
- staid ,
- standoffish ,
- stern ,
- stiff ,
- stiff-necked ,
- stilted ,
- stodgy ,
- straight ,
- strained ,
- strait-laced ,
- strict ,
- strung up ,
- stuffy ,
- sullen ,
- suspicious ,
- taut ,
- temperamental ,
- testy ,
- tetchy ,
- tight ,
- tighten ,
- touchy ,
- traditionalist ,
- troubled ,
- uncompromising ,
- uneasy ,
- unfriendly ,
- unrelaxed ,
- upset ,
- victorian ,
- volatile ,
- withdrawn ,
- wooden ,
- worked up ,
- worried ,
- wound up .
- Butterflies ,
- Hacked ,
- INDEPTH ,
- Iron-fisted ,
- Perturbable ,
- Stickling ,
- Unflexible ,
- all torn up ,
- at end of one's rope ,
- bearish ,
- been hit before ,
- biting nails ,
- biting one's nails ,
- buffaloed ,
- bummed out ,
- bundle of nerves ,
- burned up ,
- butterflies in stomach ,
- clammed up ,
- dead set ,
- disagreeable ,
- do or die ,
- doctrinal ,
- dried up ,
- dummied up ,
- edgy ,
- feel in bones ,
- fluttery ,
- get vibes ,
- hanging by thread ,
- hard as nails ,
- hard line ,
- hardboiled ,
- have a hunch ,
- have funny feeling ,
- have stage fright ,
- hold ground ,
- hold the fort ,
- hottempered ,
- hypersensitive ,
- hysteric ,
- in a cold sweat ,
- in a state ,
- in depth ,
- in doubt ,
- in rut ,
- in suspense ,
- incensed ,
- ironfisted ,
- isolationist ,
- jellyfish ,
- jittery ,
- keyed up ,
- locked in ,
- nervous wreck ,
- no nonsense ,
- not born yesterday on the lookout ,
- not heretical ,
- oldmaidish ,
- on pins and needles ,
- on the warpath ,
- on thin ice ,
- over-anxious ,
- over-modest ,
- over-nice ,
- overanxious ,
- overmodest ,
- psychoneurotic ,
- restive ,
- ruber ,
- run of the mill ,
- running scared ,
- scaredy cat ,
- scaredy-cat ,
- set in stone ,
- shot down ,
- shot to pieces ,
- singleminded ,
- steamed up ,
- sticking to one's guns ,
- straight-laced ,
- straightlaced ,
- stressful ,
- strung out ,
- tense ,
- tied up in knots ,
- touch and go ,
- unassured ,
- unbending ,
- unconfident ,
- unconsolable ,
- unglued ,
- unrestful ,
- unspeaking ,
- untrusting ,
- up set ,
- up the wall ,
- viscerous ,
- white knuckled ,
- without belief ,
- without faith ,
- wrecker .
- -racked ,
- Clingy ,
- agitate ,
- awkward ,
- awkwardly ,
- bated ,
- bothered ,
- brooding ,
- bundle ,
- butterfly ,
- care ,
- cat ,
- cling ,
- concern ,
- concernedly ,
- cow ,
- demented ,
- disconcerted ,
- dread ,
- fear ,
- flap ,
- frantically ,
- fraught ,
- frayed ,
- fret ,
- fuss ,
- grim ,
- gun ,
- harassed ,
- harry ,
- haunted ,
- heart ,
- het up ,
- high-strung ,
- highly strung ,
- hot ,
- hung up ,
- hunted ,
- hyped up ,
- ill ,
- intimidated ,
- jumpy ,
- kitten ,
- lose ,
- mind ,
- nervously ,
- oppressed ,
- paranoid ,
- pin ,
- pit ,
- preoccupied ,
- prey ,
- rattled ,
- rest ,
- say ,
- screwed up ,
- shudder ,
- strain ,
- stress ,
- stress puppy ,
- stressed (out) ,
- stressy ,
- sweat ,
- tear 1 ,
- tension ,
- tenterhooks ,
- tremble ,
- uncomfortable ,
- unquiet ,
- unsettled ,
- wired up ,
- worrier ,
- worry ,
- worrywart .
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How to use "Uptight" in context?
There is no polite way to say this: since the early nineties, the word "uptight" has been used to describe Americans who are excessively preoccupied with appearances, who are too critical of themselves, and who suffer from anxiety and depression. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term derives from the Anglo-French word "upTIGHT," meaning "in a state of excitement or tension." This definition is in line with the current usage, which associates uptightness with a sense of anxiousness and over-restriction.
Uptightness has been linked with a number of psychological problems, including anxiety and depression.
Paraphrases for Uptight:
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Word of the Day
turned-up
- Synonyms:
- dumpy, retrousse, blocky, chubby, podgy, pudgy, pug, retrousse, snub-nosed, squatty.
