as in worried
feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty
it won't do you any good to get all het up before the tryouts and lose sleep
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of het up
As for the airport tray aesthetic, while people might be getting het up at the idea of Gen Z holding up the line for some navel-gazing, the US Transport Security Administration is sanguine about the risk.
—
Maureen O'Hare, CNN, 8 Sep. 2024
So why has the Chanel version gotten people so het up?
—New York Times, 6 Dec. 2021
Something about unfolding Bennifer events, this rekindling of an old flame, has got all of us het up.
—Raven Smith, Vogue, 16 June 2021
In a normal December, people would be more concerned with the holidays and a busy schedule and wouldn't get this het up with Congress.
—Arkansas Online, 28 Dec. 2020
Maureen O'Hare, CNN, 8 Sep. 2024
So why has the Chanel version gotten people so het up?
—New York Times, 6 Dec. 2021
Something about unfolding Bennifer events, this rekindling of an old flame, has got all of us het up.
—Raven Smith, Vogue, 16 June 2021
In a normal December, people would be more concerned with the holidays and a busy schedule and wouldn't get this het up with Congress.
—Arkansas Online, 28 Dec. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for het up
Adjective
-
So how worried should these teams be?—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
People that maybe have a more precarious position in the industry and are worried and see AI as a threat — which is absolutely valid — and younger people, younger actors and musicians.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Brooklyn grandmom was upset that the women were allowing their dogs to defecate in an empty lot next to her property, her son told the Daily News at the time.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
My mom was very upset that the inheritance was not divided up equally and asked me several times why my portion would be so much larger.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The play is about Sarah, an anxious young woman living a double life.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
-
That’s the blunt reality facing Senate Majority Leader John Thune as Republicans grow increasingly anxious about the end-game for one of the most consequential — and politically combustible — confirmation fights in recent memory.—
Phil Mattingly,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In the draft room, Bisciotti looked nervous as the pick approached, worried another team — or even his own GM — might snag Randall.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Some nervous Democrats and their allies worry that language could thwart installation of a Democratic majority in the next Congress.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Of course, no guest wants to dine at the home of a host whose off-putting etiquette makes everyone feel ill at ease either.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Southern Living,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Both were a byword, too, for male beauty, fully alive to the almost laughable impact of their handsomeness, yet ill at ease, now and then, with their perches on the pedestal.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But, in the end, the artists – who’d been out there alone, navigating the same troubled waters – understood the potential.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
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Four people were wounded early Sunday in a shooting at a troubled Queens nightclub with a history of violence and murder.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Even after filling several roster holes in the NFL Draft, the Dolphins exited the weekend with a glaring need at safety and an uneasy situation on the edge, at wide receiver and at tight end.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
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Forced into an uneasy alliance with a sharp-witted poacher living on the margins of society (Kellyman), the two women fight back, turning their powerlessness into strength through violence, wit, and defiance.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Het up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/het%20up. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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