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Meanings of highly strung in English

Being in a tense state.

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Usage of highly strung in English
1
The boy being highly strung, a little criticism went a long way.
Tetrarch (Well of Echoes)
2
Those girls are highly organised, highly sensitive; their nerves are highly strung.
Spring Days
3
Your nerves are too highly strung, and nerves play us strange tricks.
The Return Of The Soul / 1896
4
Lister saw he tried to be cool, but thought him highly strung.
Lister's Great Adventure
5
He was as highly strung as a racehorse at the gate.
Underground: Hacking, madness and obsession on the electronic fr...
6
She may sound highly strung, but her demeanour is admirably grounded.
The Guardian
7
Her sensitive highly strung nerves permitted these sharp alternations between despondency and hope.
The Wings of the Morning
8
Heather was more highly strung, and responded to the darkening atmosphere around her.
The water room
9
Such methodical work would calm nerves not often so highly strung.
A Sweet Girl Graduate
10
He inherited in exaggerated degree his mother's highly strung nervous nature.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building / Being an Account of Mo...
11
Such a highly strung, sensitive nature amounts almost to a curse.
Deadham Hard: A Romance
12
My dear, Derek is very highly strung, and he's been ill.
The Freelands
13
He is, as I have said, a highly strung character.
A journey: my political life
14
Is there source material for this highly strung, camp creation?
The Guardian
15
She had not expected the question and was highly strung.
The Buccaneer Farmer / Published in England under the Title "Ask...
16
It's hard to perform well when you are highly strung.
The Guardian
This collocation consists of:
Highly strung through the time
Highly strung across language varieties
United Kingdom
Common