edgy

American  

[ej-ee] / ˈɛdʒ i /

adjective

edgier, edgiest

1. nervously irritable; impatient and anxious.

2. sharp-edged; sharply defined, as outlines.

3. daringly innovative; on the cutting edge.

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edgy British  

/ ˈɛdʒɪ /

adjective

1. (usually postpositive) nervous, irritable, tense, or anxious

2. (of paintings, drawings, etc) excessively defined

3. innovative, or at the cutting edge, with the concomitant qualities of intensity and excitement

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Other Word Forms

• edgily adverb
• edginess noun

Etymology

Origin of edgy

First recorded in 1765–75; edge + -y ¹

Example Sentences

"The area we were collecting in is karst, so it's made of sharp, edgy limestone, and it's lost all of its natural soils," Riegler said.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

Even though humans created the near-miraculous technology of the internet, there are those in some quarters who still long to believe in magic, and they like it to have that edgy, dark side.

From Salon • Apr. 1, 2026

This was the dream scenario: baseball’s very best, edgy crowd, one-run game, two outs, a title on the line—and Ohtani getting the better of his pal on a filthy 3-2 sweeper.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

Owens pretty quickly carved out her space as being on the edgy, just-asking-questions end of the spectrum.

From Slate • Feb. 27, 2026

“Why are you asking him about the stores?” she interrogated me in Korean, her tongue plaintive, edgy, as though she were in some pain.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

Related Words

• excited
• restless
• skittish
• tense
• uneasy
• uptight