edgy

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edgy

  • /ˈɛd͡ʒi/ Canada, US, UK
  • /ˈed͡ʒi/ Australia, New Zealand

Rhymes with -ɛdʒi

Where it comes from

From edge + -y. Compare German eckig (“angular, edgy”).

adjective edgier · edgiest

  1. Nervous, apprehensive.
  2. Creatively challenging; cutting edge; leading edge.
  3. figuratively On the edge between acceptable and offensive; pushing the boundaries of good taste; risqué. “A few college kids make edgy jokes in a group chat and conservatives are tripping over themselves to denounce and disavow and call for firings and resignations,” Matt Walsh, a right-wing commentator, posted on X.
  4. dated Irritable. an edgy temper
  5. Having some of the forms, such as drapery or the like, too sharply defined. A sculptor's ideas must, I should guess, be somewhat rigid and inflexible, like the materials in which he works. Besides, Nollekens's style was comparatively hard and edgy.
  6. Sharp; having prominent edges. Shasta tried to get out of the way and to make Bree go back. But […] a woman with a very edgy basket in her hands, who was just behind Shasta, pushed the basket hard against his shoulders, and said, "Now then! Who are you shoving!"
  7. slang Cool by virtue of being tough, dark, or badass. My bicep, my poor little cluster of nearly muscle is being pressed into a funsize turkey nugget and I’m starting to perhaps regret my outing with this bunch of Brentford fans who have that slightly edgier reputation.
  8. Internet Exhibiting behavior that is disconcerting or alarming, sometimes in an effort to impress or to troll others. These trolls think they’re being satirical and brave because they’re putting these dangerous, edgy so-called jokes on there, but in reality it’s cowardly. It’s the antithesis of bravery because they rarely identify themselves or give away personal information. That’s not courage.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: nervy, jumpy, high-strung, jittery, overstrung, restive, uptight, tense, nervous, in suspense, anxious, flustered, restless, upset, impatient, unquiet

Translations

Every language

adj nervous, apprehensive

Françaisnerveux, anxieux, à cran
Deutschnervös, angespannt
Русскийне́рвный nérvnyj, взволно́ванный vzvolnóvannyj

adj on the edge between acceptable and offensive

Españolprovocador, hacerse el interesante, atrevido, efectista, amarillista
Françaislimite
Deutschgrenzwertig
Русскийна гра́ни фо́ла na gráni fóla, вызыва́ющий vyzyvájuščij

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MLA

"edgy." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/edgy. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

edgy. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/edgy

Chicago

"edgy." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/edgy.

BibTeX
@misc{edgy_2026,
  title = {edgy},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/edgy},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}