What this suffix does
-strung describes how tense someone's nerves are: high-strung / highly-strung (tense, easily startled), loosely-strung (relaxed).
ESEN
Suffix · forms adjectives
-strung
Describes how tense someone's nerves are: high-strung (nervous, easily upset) versus loosely-strung (relaxed).
In Spanish: de nervios tensos / tenso / con los nervios a flor de pielIntermediate
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
How it is formed
Adjective or adverb + strung.
- high + strunghigh-strung (nervous, easily upset)
- highly + strunghighly-strung (very nervous, sensitive)
- loosely + strungloosely-strung (relaxed, untense)
This is not a productive rule you can apply freely: it is a closed set of fixed expressions. Learn them one by one as set phrases.
How it is pronounced
-strung
Tap the button to hear how the ending sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.
Examples
Base word
With -strung
In a phrase
- highhigh-strungThe high-strung assistant double-checks everything twice.
- tightlytightly-strungThe tennis racket needs to be tightly-strung.
- highlyhighly-strungShe's highly-strung before every exam.
- overoverstrungThe piano sounded off because it was overstrung.
- looselyloosely-strungThe loosely-strung guitar kept going out of tune.
Common mistakes
high-strung = aggressive or angry
high-strung = nervous and easily reactive, not necessarily aggressive
"High-strung" describes a nervous disposition — a person who reacts quickly and intensely to stimulation, who has a low threshold for stress or anxiety. It does not mean aggressive or angry. A high-strung person may be anxious, easily startled, reactive, or tense — but these are qualities of the nervous system, not of aggression. High-strung people are often sensitive, talented, and intense rather than hostile.
highly-strung and high-strung are different words
highly-strung and high-strung mean the same thing; highly-strung is more common in British English
"Highly-strung" and "high-strung" are variant spellings of the same compound. "High-strung" is the standard American English form; "highly-strung" is more common in British English. Both describe the same quality of nervous reactivity. The choice between them is largely regional rather than semantic.
A trick to remember it
"Strung" comes from "string" (a guitar or bow string). Picture a string pulled so tight it vibrates at the slightest touch: high-STRUNG = that's how tense that person is inside.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
"loosely-strung" describes someone who is...
Frequently asked questions
What does the suffix -strung mean in English?
The suffix -strung describes how tense someone's nerves are: high-strung (nervous, easily upset) versus loosely-strung (relaxed). In Spanish it usually maps to de nervios tensos / tenso / con los nervios a flor de piel.
Can you give an example of a word with -strung?
"high" becomes "high-strung". It is a typical example of the -strung suffix.
Other useful suffixes
-spirited
Describes someone's energy or attitude: high-spirited (lively, energetic) and free-spirited (unconventional, independent).
-tempered
Describes someone's emotional character: even-tempered (calm, steady) versus hot-tempered (quick to anger).
-willed
Describes how strong someone's willpower is: strong-willed (determined) versus weak-willed (easily swayed).
Learn every English suffix
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