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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

keyed up en · ADJ

Etymology

From the phrasal verb key up.

Meanings

  1. (colloquial) Nervous; worried.
    • One trouble, he explained, is that dope pushers flock to neighborhoods where two gangs are at war, knowing they will find buyers among members of the gangs who are so keyed up that they welcome any kind of relaxation or who are just plain afraid. 1957 September 13, Walter Bernstein, “The Cherubs Are Rumbling”, in The New Yorker, archived from the original on 18 Feb 2024:
    • She was all keyed up about the interview.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
most keyed up Degree=Sup lexicographic
more keyed up Degree=Cmp lexicographic

keyed up en · VERB

Etymology

From the phrasal verb key up.

Meanings

  1. (form-of, participle, past) simple past and past participle of key up
    form of key up