edgy
Americanadjective
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nervously irritable; impatient and anxious.
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sharp-edged; sharply defined, as outlines.
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daringly innovative; on the cutting edge.
adjective
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(usually postpositive) nervous, irritable, tense, or anxious
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(of paintings, drawings, etc) excessively defined
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innovative, or at the cutting edge, with the concomitant qualities of intensity and excitement
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of edgy
Explanation
If you're edgy, you're uptight, tense, or anxious. You might find yourself getting nervous and edgy right before you take a difficult test. A tendency to get edgy — irritable and jittery — might be a result of too much coffee, or just a personality trait. It's not a very helpful habit in most cases, leading you to snap at other people or just feel tense. An informal way to use edgy is to mean "experimental or daring." In the 18th century, something edgy literally had sharp edges, but by the early 1800s it came to mean "tense and irritable."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Trading floors remain edgy after a recent run of volatility fuelled by concerns that the artificial intelligence boom that has underpinned a global rally may have run out of steam.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
We all thought we were so edgy and alternative.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
After an edgy chase over Ireland in their second match, this was more reminiscent of England's performance on the opening night of the tournament when they piled up 219-1 against Sri Lanka.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
Back then, the sport was edgy, at the margins.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
The resulting jangling, sparklingly dissonant sound, which is brittle, full of edgy attack and a kind of out-of-tune resonance, would have been - literally - unimaginable, even terrifying to audiences of the day.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Tyler, after a brief recovery period, returned to the recording studio with a huskier, edgier voice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Belgium had that natural edge, and then, a crazy episode made them edgier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
So whether you want family-friendly fare, holiday vibes, relaxing release or edgier escapism – there’s plenty to check out.
From Salon ● Dec. 24, 2025
"If it was edgy to do jeans for November 1988, I think it was even edgier for her to do Madonna," says Amy Odell, author of Anna: The Biography.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2025
In another reality, Leo might’ve enjoyed a walk on the beach with a pretty girl, but the farther they went, the edgier he felt.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
Every Disney movie raises us to recognize that villains always get the best lines, the edgiest wardrobes and, sometimes, the most darling pets.
From Salon ● Jan. 28, 2026
I just, that kind of stuff and stand-up, you know, some comics look for the edgiest stuff, or the stuff that like is gonna be clickbait.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2025
The result is a strong culinary heritage that even the edgiest chefs hold sacred — and, of course, draws food worshipers from around the world.
From New York Times ● Jul. 19, 2022
And there’s one of the edgiest tracks yet from the band — “Cutthroat,” an anthem about killing the critic inside of you.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 30, 2021
He’ll use it all to unleash the edgiest, best Westbrook.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 21, 2020
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
