How to Use uptight in a Sentence

uptight

adjective
  • I don't know why people are so uptight about sex.
  • If our flight is delayed, there's nothing we can do. There's no reason to get so uptight about it.
  • The showing was with a slightly uptight agent who was dressed to the nines in a blue suit.
    Amy Gamerman, WSJ, 8 Sep. 2020
  • And to get all uptight about what the kids are doing is pointless.
    Southern Living, 1 May 2017
  • And to get all uptight about what the kids are doing is pointless.
    Alanna Nash, Southern Living, 14 Oct. 2016
  • Attorney bios do not have to be so rigid and uptight — save that for the CV.
    Yec, Forbes, 31 Aug. 2021
  • Charles is all very uptight and serious about the whole thing, as Charles is wont to be.
    Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 6 May 2021
  • But while some of the ladies may still be a wee too uptight, this season was a vast improvement.
    Michael Arceneaux, The Root, 10 July 2017
  • So far this week does not have the feel of a typical, uptight Super Bowl.
    Conor Orr, SI.com, 30 Jan. 2018
  • In a highlight sequence, the two heroes put a bunch of uptight British colonials to shame in a dance off.
    Ashley Wong, WSJ, 11 Jan. 2023
  • Some coaches get uptight before games and don’t want to talk.
    Kyle Neddenriep, The Indianapolis Star, 11 May 2021
  • And Thomson is the soothing presence the Phillies in the wake of Girardi, who could be uptight at times.
    John Perrotto, Forbes, 8 Aug. 2022
  • If the host is uptight and nervous, everybody else will be that way too.
    Abby Wilson, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Sep. 2023
  • It's become a very uptight, corporate league and a dink and dunk league.
    NBC News, 4 Feb. 2018
  • As far as the vibe, Rabbit isn’t trying to be an uptight fine-dining spot.
    Tori Latham, Robb Report, 25 Aug. 2022
  • But yes, back then, the U.S.A. was still conservative and uptight about all these things.
    Katie Bain, Billboard, 1 Nov. 2021
  • The people are warm and even the fanciest restaurants don't feel uptight.
    Mehera Bonner, Marie Claire, 10 Dec. 2018
  • Noah decides to call her on being too uptight and makes out with her while smashing piñatas.
    Ali Barthwell, Vulture, 17 Aug. 2021
  • Your jovial attitude helps a friend who might be uptight.
    BostonGlobe.com, 4 Oct. 2019
  • The Eagles looked as uptight and wary as Vermeil’s curfew.
    David J. Neal, miamiherald, 22 Jan. 2018
  • The women who didn’t take part in it were made to feel very guilty and selfish and self-centered and uptight, frigid and rigid and rejecting of men.
    Win McCormack, The New Republic, 12 Apr. 2018
  • Is the crowd a little uptight, or more carefree and bohemian?
    Micaela English, Town & Country, 29 Aug. 2017
  • Jude is bitter, cold and uptight, having spent her entire adult life as the mistress of a married man.
    Marion Winik, Star Tribune, 31 July 2020
  • Like the first two films in the hilarious trilogy, Greg tries to impress and earn the trust of his uptight father-in-law, Jack.
    Samantha Olson, Seventeen, 29 Nov. 2022
  • They’re now united by having the same enemy, and spend the core of the film bantering on dry land, with Arthur trying to get a rise out of the uptight Orm.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Dec. 2023
  • And there’s a general belief that, the system is too uptight and there needs to be more human freedom.
    How To Save A Country, The New Republic, 17 Nov. 2022
  • To show off the earrings, hairstylist and close friend Cristina Boatman did an easy low bun, not too uptight or too messy.
    Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 30 Sep. 2017
  • A few years later, Strout published Amy and Isabelle, about an uptight white woman from Maine.
    Isobel Thompson, A-LIST, 14 June 2018
  • Both firms embodied social values that, even at the time, were uptight.
    The Economist, 22 Aug. 2019
  • Record labels are so uptight about how to market something.
    Jason Scott, Billboard, 30 June 2018

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'uptight.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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