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

Those contentions — and Bartell’s claim of a second list of 17,000 potential noncitizen voters — only add to an already heated debate about the scope of the inquiry and its legitimacy.

— Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
During a June 24 special meeting, Knight ordered the removal of fellow board member Anita Kurn following a heated discussion over a vacant board seat, according to Iredell Free News.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 20 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

Since the incident, the flamingo has been doing all right physically but is more anxious and nervous when being evaluated, said Peachy’s veterinarian, Tiffany Moore, medical director of Lone Mountain Animal Hospital.

— Jessica Hill, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
As the military-style helicopter hovered above them, attendees from the rural, predominantly Latino community, began to get nervous.

— Philip Wang, Time, 19 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

Browse Nearby Words

keyed

keyed up

keyhole

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“Keyed up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keyed%20up. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of keyed up

adjective

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