Uptight

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ʌpˈtaɪt/

Definitions

1. Feeling nervous, tense, or uneasy ; behaving in a very controlled or inflexible manner
2. Experiencing stress or worry often leading to stiffness ; showing a rigid, overly formal way of acting
3. Being uptight involves discomfort from worry or stress ; adopting strict rules or an inflexible attitude

Etymology: In the 1930s, American slang took "up," meaning keyed up or agitated, and paired it with "tight," which by then described a taut, strained state, as in a tightly wound spring. The combination first appears in print around 1937, meaning nervous or on edge. The sense of rigid or inflexible behavior came later, and the 1960s counterculture gave it its sharpest edge. Someone who followed rules, dressed conventionally, and disapproved of looseness could be dismissed as uptight. The word is a plain English compound with no Latin or Greek behind it. Its two parts had been used together in the same tense sense before, so its origin is more a matter of ordinary slang than of invention.

Synonyms: anxious, tense, nervous, stressed, edgy

Antonyms: relaxed, easygoing, calm, unconcerned, laid-back