uptight

/ˌˈʌpˌˈtaɪt/

/ˈʌptaɪt/

To be uptight is to be tense. When you're uptight, you're stressed out and anxious.

If your friends are always telling you to relax, you may be a little uptight. People who are uptight tend to be stressed out. Your worried grandmother might be considered uptight, and so might your sister's angry teacher who is always yelling at the class. The adjective uptight was first used as popular slang in the 1930's to mean "tense." In the 1960's, the connotation changed to "straight-laced" or "conservative." For a brief time, uptight appeared in jazz slang meaning "excellent."

Definitions of uptight

1. adjective

   in a very tense state
   synonyms: edgy, high-strung, highly strung, jittery, jumpy, nervy, overstrung, restive

   tense

   in or of a state of physical or nervous tension