as in wrought (up)
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as in developed
to produce or bring about especially by long or repeated effort
spent years working up a period novel that was historically accurate in every detail
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of worked up
Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 10 Dec. 2025
Chicago — its fans, its organization and yes, its writers — has clung to that era as tightly as Toews and Kane clung to the Stanley Cup in that famous photo, because there’s been so little else to get worked up about.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Apr. 2026
The touching moment was shared on the TikTok account @rosiethestaffygirl, capturing the instant Rosie—a Staffordshire bull terrier rescue—worked up the nerve to confront something that had clearly been troubling her.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for worked up
Adjective
Washington School House Hotel is located atop Park Avenue, moments from Main Street, and provides complimentary après-ski fare in the living room for outdoor enthusiasts who have worked up an appetite.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 10 Dec. 2025
Chicago — its fans, its organization and yes, its writers — has clung to that era as tightly as Toews and Kane clung to the Stanley Cup in that famous photo, because there’s been so little else to get worked up about.
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
The backstory This is the first hotel by Jaime Bravo, a Costa Rican hotelier who worked up the ranks of hospitality at the Ritz-Carlton in Hong Kong and a couple of boutique hotels in Tulum.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Apr. 2026
The touching moment was shared on the TikTok account @rosiethestaffygirl, capturing the instant Rosie—a Staffordshire bull terrier rescue—worked up the nerve to confront something that had clearly been troubling her.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for worked up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worked up
Verb
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The county soon developed an interest in the land occupied by the golf course.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
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By the end of the course, the fellows had developed curricula that promote essential skills in early education, including inquiry, analysis and critical thinking, according to project director Meghan Green, an assistant professor in Erikson’s teacher education program.—
Darcel Rockett,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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More and more Americans across the spectrum see Netanyahu’s Israel as a spoiled child, and they’re just fed up with it.—
Thomas L. Friedman,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
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And hopefully we as a community kind of get fed up together and just get more involved, get more nosy.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And Murray, who has forged his reputation on performing playoff magic, came up small in the season’s biggest game.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
1 May 2026
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But Lemisch’s comes with an intellectual pedigree forged in the history wars of the ’60s and ’70s.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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Bill, who was a Vietnam War veteran, tended to be angry and demanding at home.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 May 2026
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An angry crowd rioted outside an Australian Outback hospital where a man accused of killing a 5-year-old girl was treated for a vigilante beating.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 May 2026
Verb
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In past years, that has created openings for disruptions in the lobby and other public spaces, including protests in which security moved to remove guests who unfurled banners or staged demonstrations.—
Bridget Byrne,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Apr. 2026
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That event, along with the Grand Mosque seizure in 1979, created a backlash against Western thought, Western ideology.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
Verb
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The Angels got two runners on with one out in the eighth, but Grant Taylor worked out of the jam to maintain the three-run lead.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
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The 22-year-old from Nigeria declared for the 2025 draft and worked out for teams, but was not invited to the combine.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The victim told police Walton became enraged over not receiving a tip, leading to an argument.—
Stepheny Price , Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
2 May 2026
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Rail workers press for tighter security Unions have been fighting to strengthen passenger rail workers' protections for nearly a decade, after several incidents like the 2017 shooting of a conductor by an enraged passenger at the train station in Naperville, Illinois.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Worked up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worked%20up. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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