as in excitable
easily excited by nature
a dog that tends to be high-strung is not the best pet for young children
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Recent Examples of high-strung
A lot went down on Thursday’s new episode of Hacks, but one of the most memorable moments was when Deborah Vance (played by Jean Smart) had an unexpected night out with her dutiful and high-strung assistant, Damien (played by Mark Indelicato).
—
Jeff Conway, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
Others might be more high-strung, trying to live up to the older sibling's example or carve out their own identity.
—Emily Edlynn, Parents, 8 Jan. 2025
Feeling at home is a strong theme as Buddy tries to build a relationship with his estranged father, a high-strung corporate worker on the naughty list portrayed by Michael Hayden, and make it in the human world.
—Caroline Howe, NBC News, 20 Dec. 2024
In the film, Scrooge is now Frank Cross (Bill Murray), a high-strung, selfish and arrogant TV executive living in Manhattan.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 14 Dec. 2024
The show leaned into the meta-ness of the Lowes playing an eccentric father and high-strung son.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 11 Oct. 2024
Charlie, a high-strung, openly gay overthinker, and Nick, a cheerful, soft-hearted rugby player, one day are made to sit together in class.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
Others might be more high-strung, trying to live up to the older sibling's example or carve out their own identity.
—Emily Edlynn, Parents, 8 Jan. 2025
Her perception of things is a lot more high-strung than mine.
—Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 28 May 2024
Jeff Conway, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
Others might be more high-strung, trying to live up to the older sibling's example or carve out their own identity.
—Emily Edlynn, Parents, 8 Jan. 2025
Feeling at home is a strong theme as Buddy tries to build a relationship with his estranged father, a high-strung corporate worker on the naughty list portrayed by Michael Hayden, and make it in the human world.
—Caroline Howe, NBC News, 20 Dec. 2024
In the film, Scrooge is now Frank Cross (Bill Murray), a high-strung, selfish and arrogant TV executive living in Manhattan.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 14 Dec. 2024
The show leaned into the meta-ness of the Lowes playing an eccentric father and high-strung son.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 11 Oct. 2024
Charlie, a high-strung, openly gay overthinker, and Nick, a cheerful, soft-hearted rugby player, one day are made to sit together in class.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
Others might be more high-strung, trying to live up to the older sibling's example or carve out their own identity.
—Emily Edlynn, Parents, 8 Jan. 2025
Her perception of things is a lot more high-strung than mine.
—Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 28 May 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for high-strung
Adjective
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Anyone familiar with the world of the Grateful Dead knows that one of the band’s most devoted and excitable fans was the late Bill Walton, the illustrious Hall of Fame NBA center who died in May 2024 at 71.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
15 May 2025
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Groups of excitable teenage boys waited their turn to play EA FC on a bank of massive flat screen TVs.—
James Montague,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
Adjective
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The video highlighted how visibly nervous Jessie was while using jokes to get through the show.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
6 June 2025
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In a video played on Thursday's episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Hamill is shown giving his opening monologue declaring his love for film when a nervous expression crosses his face.—
Mekishana Pierre Updated,
EW.com,
5 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“High-strung.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/high-strung. Accessed 11 Jun. 2025.
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