high-strung

[hahy-struhng]

See more synonyms for high-strung on Thesaurus.com

adjective

at great tension; highly excitable or nervous; edgy: high-strung nerves; a high-strung person.

Origin of high-strung

First recorded in 1740–50

Synonyms for high-strung

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tense, temperamental; jumpy, edgy, jittery, uptight.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for high-strung

excitable, restless, edgy, impatient, tense

Examples from the Web for high-strung

Contemporary Examples of high-strung

He was “high-strung”—intensely neurotic—yet a charismatic personality nonetheless.
The Devil and Woodrow Wilson: An Interview With Joyce Carol Oates
Jane Ciabattari
March 19, 2013
He is high-strung and on edge, and his volatility practically sears the screen.
Overacting Anonymous: The Christian Bale and Natalie Portman Edition
Tricia Romano
February 20, 2011

Historical Examples of high-strung

We never could get along together at all, because he is so high-strung and overbearing.
The Little Colonel
Annie Fellows Johnston
Though still slight of build I was wiry, high-strung and quick of movement.
The Harbor
Ernest Poole
It was eloquent, vibrating with eloquence, but too high-strung, I think.
Heart of Darkness
Joseph Conrad
Starbright was right in saying Dade Morgan was proud and high-strung.
Frank Merriwell's Pursuit
Burt L. Standish
The high-strung gaiety, the drinking, the overtranking, the relaxation of mores.
Mercenary
Dallas McCord Reynolds

Word Origin and History for high-strung

adj.

also high strung, 1848 in the figurative sense, from high (adj.) + strung. Originally a musical term, with reference to stringed instruments, where it is attested from 1748.