Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use uptight in a sentence

10 example sentences · adjective, noun

Uptight means excessively concerned with rules and order, always serious. Example: “Don't be so uptight! You won't go to jail for crossing the street against the light.”

Examples of uptight by meaning

adjectiveExcessively 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.

adjectiveSexually repressed.

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

More sentences with uptight

  • My skip is helpful when my team lead is being uptight.From the entry skip
  • He said it was because the world was full of uptight, holier-than-thou Bible-thumpers and titsy feminists.2007, Tawni O'Dell, Sister Mine: A Novel, page 281. From the entry titsy
  • If she won't put out the men will accuse her of being bourgeois and uptight.1975, David Lodge, Changing Places: A Tale of Two Campuses, page 232. From the entry put out
  • Also, when people tell dumb Pollock jokes, I never get uptight or angry with the person for telling it.a. 2004, “Bridget” (student), quoted in Karyn D. McKinney, Being White: Stories of Race and Racism, Routledge (2005), page 122. From the entry pollock
  • Is your bad girl self feeling uptight and out-of-sight?2004, Cameron Tuttle, The Bad Girl's Guide to Getting Personal, San Francisco, C.A.: Chronicle Books, →ISBN, page 16. From the entry badification
  • At the other extreme, try not to surround yourself with complete stress-heads, it might make you more uptight.2001, Lucy Clarke & Jenny Hawkins, Student Survival Guide: What to Expect and How to Handle It - Insider Advice on University Life…. From the entry stresshead
  • Often, fresh from the act he dined at the restaurant, still uptight, forgetting where he was, he ordered in the Tarzanese of the Arena.2001, Frank Palescandolo, Remembrance of a Restaurant: A Decameron of Dining, iUniverse, page 199. From the entry Tarzanese
  • This is the reason why I get so uptight, so aggressive when someone comes along, talks very well, but sells koyok and puts our country in danger.2015 September 10, “Vivian: I fight back when people sell 'koyok'”, in The Straits Times. From the entry koyok

Meaning of uptight

  1. adjective Excessively concerned with rules and order, always serious.
  2. adjective Emotionally repressed; nervous and tense.
  3. adjective Sexually repressed.

Full definition of uptight

Questions about uptight in a sentence

How do you use uptight in a sentence?
Uptight is used as an adjective and noun. For example: “Don't be so uptight! You won't go to jail for crossing the street against the light.”
What is a short sentence with uptight?
“Is your bad girl self feeling uptight and out-of-sight?”
What does uptight mean?
Uptight means excessively concerned with rules and order, always serious.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: uptight (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use uptight in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/uptight. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.