uptight

See also: up-tight

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: ŭp-tīt', IPA^(key): /ʌpˈtaɪt/
• Rhymes: -aɪt

Adjective

uptight (comparative uptighter, superlative uptightest)

1. (colloquial) Excessively concerned with rules and order, always serious.

   Don't be so uptight! You won't go to jail for crossing the street against the light.

2. Emotionally repressed; nervous and tense.
3. (colloquial) Sexually repressed.

   He came from a very uptight religious background, but you wouldn't know that now!

4. (colloquial) Unfriendly and rude.
   • 1987, Withnail and I:

     Withnail: Just because the best tailoring you’ve ever seen is above your fucking appendix doesn’t mean anything.

     Danny: Don’t get uptight with me, man.

Translations

(colloquial) Excessively concerned with rules and order, always serious

• Finnish: kireä (fi), niuhottava
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: чопорный (ru) (čopornyj), чинный (ru) (činnyj)

Noun

uptight (plural uptights)

1. (colloquial) An uptight person.

See also

• anal retentive