KEYED (UP) Synonyms: 105 Similar and Opposite Words

keyed up

adjective

Definition of keyed up

as in excited

being in a state of increased activity or agitation She's pretty keyed up from all that coffee.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in worried

feeling or showing uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty He was all keyed up for his first day at the new job.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of keyed up Here her strained exuberance keyed up a bit. — Christopher Hooks, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026 Resets can be used during warm-ups, after workouts, between stressful meetings or anytime your body feels keyed up. — Dana Santas, CNN Money, 14 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for keyed up

Adjective

We are excited by the prospect of evolving the Festival beyond what people have come to expect.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026
Layer in Musk's visionary nature and ability to get investors excited, and you're left with an earnings conference call that should be considered required reading for any market participant.

— Zev Fima, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of excited

Adjective

Observers say the Student List party's policies remain vague, which has some worried about Serbia's future.

— Chris Massaro, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026
Gas prices were safely below $3 a gallon, and, if anything, the energy market was worried about a supply glut that could keep fuel prices low.

— Matt Egan, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of worried

Adjective

Funding for Platte County police came to a heated front in a county commission meeting earlier this year where Sheriff Erik Holland and Prosecuting Attorney Erik Zahnd vehemently argued that the law enforcement budget was too low.

— Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2026
The messages, reviewed by Semafor, were heated but respectful.

— Ben Smith, semafor.com, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of heated

Adjective

Pressed by a reporter on a Zoom call about specific players, Wade grew agitated and defiant.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026
When the door finally opened, an agitated young man who resembled Ryan Gosling (Rett Keeter) shined an LED flashlight directly into my eyes, a gesture that would become familiar over the next hour.

— Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of agitated

Adjective

That sounds appealing, especially to investors nervous about market declines.

— Daniel Kern, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Shopkeepers boarded up windows while others opened temporarily and endured a nervous Saturday afternoon, after around 3,000 shops were damaged or looted last weekend.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of nervous

Adjective

The director general was attempting to lift the gloom after being beset with questions from anxious employees about job losses, service reductions, and general retrenchment.

— Max Goldbart, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2026
An anxious child Apart from her scribbled notes, scant details are available about Runa’s experience in detention, according to her lawyer Yoshihiro Mukai.

— Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of anxious

Adjective

Ramaswamy, who is challenging Democrat Amy Acton for the governor’s seat, has come under attack from some critics for airing a campaign ad this week featuring Acton’s estranged mother slamming her daughter as a troubled liar.

— Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 21 Oct. 2026
Betancourt’s legal problems stemmed from his role in troubled Venezuelan energy projects during the corrupt rule of former President Hugo Chávez.

— Cate Brown, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of troubled

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keyed

keyed up

keyhole

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Style

“Keyed up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keyed%20up. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of keyed up

adjective

Example Sentences

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