high-strung
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of high-strung
First recorded in 1740–50
Explanation
Someone who's high-strung is extremely nervous or overly sensitive. When your high-strung neighbor comes over for coffee, you may be tempted to secretly substitute decaf for regular. A high-strung dog will start trembling and shaking during a thunderstorm, and a high-strung horse is jittery and easily spooked by unfamiliar noises. You might even describe yourself as high-strung if you find it very hard to relax. Before high-strung was used in this figurative way, it was a musician's term. Today, a high-strung or "Nashville tuned" guitar is tuned an octave higher than normal, using finer guitar strings.
Vocabulary lists containing high-strung
Rosa Parks: My Story
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Gather
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Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush
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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.
I don’t feel like he’s somebody that’s high-strung or high-maintenance.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026
We eagerly drink in the discord because the stakes are illusory, even if the high-strung emotions turn out to be real.
From Salon • Jan. 28, 2026
Tom is a law professor and his wife, Amy, is a frustrated and high-strung housewife.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025
It’s a universe removed from his Emmy-nominated performance as the high-strung Chip in “The Morning Show” — but it’s a role he seems to relish.
From New York Times • Nov. 29, 2024
His chestnut pony, Starburst, is as spirited and high-strung as Rainbow is gentle and sweet.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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.
