Definition

The condition of being anxious, tense, or overly concerned about things.

Example

Her uptightness made it difficult for her to relax during the vacation.

Conversation

I've noticed you seem a bit tense lately.

Yeah, I guess I've been feeling a lot of uptightness with everything going on.

It's important to find ways to relax and let it go, you know?

Definitely, I need to work on that and just take things a bit easier.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Uptightness is formed from "up" (meaning in a higher position or state) and "tight" (from Old English "tihht", meaning firmly held or constrained) with the suffix "-ness" (meaning the state or quality of). The word describes the state of being in a tense or constrained position, both physically and emotionally.

Memory Tip

Think of being in a 'higher' ('up') state of being 'firmly held' ('tight') — that's why uptightness means being in a tense or constrained state.

Visually Confused Words