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:
In art circles, Mirabelle is known for co-founding the edgy New York gallery Rivington Arms, and Melia is a Harvard-educated chef who helped turn The Smile into a chic NoHo cafe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
"It's going to be really edgy," says Madrid's own F3 driver Bruno del Pino.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
He was an active participant in defending Andrew Tate, using his influence to validate an accused predator because it fit the edgy, anti-establishment aesthetic of the modern manosphere media.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
This time, she’s named Faye Heron, an Emmy-winning Hollywood multi-hyph who found cachet while working on one of those edgy premium dramedies that probably aired on HBO.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
He was still distracted and edgy, and all of it was not because of the problem of Hagar.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
Tyler, after a brief recovery period, returned to the recording studio with a huskier, edgier voice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
He returned to recording in January 1962 with “The Bridge,” which featured a new, edgier and more abstract sound.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
Some have rejected the film as flimsy satire; others have wanted its message to be edgier and more obvious.
From Salon ● Apr. 9, 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
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
One of the edgiest is a former tobacco factory in the gritty Athens neighborhood of Kolonos whose pink and yellow facade has drawn comparisons to a giant Battenberg cake.
From New York Times ● Jun. 30, 2022
“Ted Lasso,” for example, “isn’t the edgiest show. It’s a feel-good show and something that, apart from a couple parts here and there, could easily be a broadcast show.”
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 14, 2021
It remains one of SNL’s edgiest efforts to date.
From Washington Post ● May 20, 2021
As most of the elder statesmen and women of comedy take the stage at the gloriously retro Theatre at Ace Hotel, it likely won’t be the weirdest or edgiest night.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 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.
