uptightness
Being overly stiff
Uptightness is the state of being tense, anxious, or unable to relax—often about matters others find trivial.
It suggests excessive rigidity or an inability to go with the flow: His uptightness about the seating arrangement ruined the dinner party.
The word carries mild criticism, implying someone needs to loosen up.
State of anxious unease
- tensionStretched or strained state
- apprehensionNervous anticipation of trouble
- uneaseMild persistent worry
- edginessRestless nervous tension
worry · jitters · restlessness · anxiousness · insecurity · overthinking · hypervigilance · neurosis
Quality of being unbending
- strictnessInflexibility in enforcement
- rigidityState of being unbending
- unbendingRefusing to change position
- perfectionismCompulsive pursuit of flawlessness
micromanaging · obsessiveness · compulsiveness · orderliness · exactingness · meticulousness · nitpicking · rule-following
Resistance to deformation
- proprietyCorrectness of conduct
- decorumFitting social conduct
- rigidnessState of being stiff
- conventionalityAdherence to accepted customs
punctiliousness · primness · stuffiness · ceremoniousness · correctness · prudishness · fussiness · fastidiousness
nervousness
State of anxious unease
- tensionStretched or strained state
- apprehensionNervous anticipation of trouble
- uneaseMild persistent worry
edginess · worry · jitters · restlessness · anxiousness · insecurity · overthinking · hypervigilance · neurosis · agitation
inflexibility
Quality of being unbending
- strictnessInflexibility in enforcement
- rigidityState of being unbending
- unbendingRefusing to change position
perfectionism · micromanaging · obsessiveness · compulsiveness · orderliness · exactingness · meticulousness · nitpicking · rule-following · regimentation
stiffness
Resistance to deformation
conventionality · punctiliousness · primness · stuffiness · ceremoniousness · correctness · prudishness · fussiness · fastidiousness · prickliness
- prudishnessprimness, priggishness, prissiness, puritanism, stuffiness
- Puritanismpuritanism, moral purity, prudery, prudishness, strictness
- self-righteousnesssanctimony, self-righteousness, moralism, holier-than-thou, judgmentalism
- timiditybashfulness, shyness, timidness, timorousness, meekness
uptightnessrelaxedness
State of being untense
calmness · ease · serenity · looseness · mellowness
uptightnesseasygoingness
Relaxed, untroubled temperament
casualness · informality · openness · approachability · warmth
uptightnesspermissiveness
Tolerance of behavior others forbid
flexibility · uninhibitedness · laxness · unconventionality · liberalness
tight, tighten, uptight, tightness, tightened, tightens, tightening, tighter, tightest