high-strung

[ hahy-struhng ]

/ ˈhaɪˈstrʌŋ /

at great tension; highly excitable or nervous; edgy: high-strung nerves; a high-strung person.

Origin of high-strung

First recorded in 1740–50

tense, temperamental; jumpy, edgy, jittery, uptight.

He was “high-strung”—intensely neurotic—yet a charismatic personality nonetheless.

The Devil and Woodrow Wilson: An Interview With Joyce Carol Oates |Jane Ciabattari |March 19, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
He is high-strung and on edge, and his volatility practically sears the screen.

Overacting Anonymous: The Christian Bale and Natalie Portman Edition |Tricia Romano |February 20, 2011 |DAILY BEAST
Some of the high-strung chaps do go to pieces about this time and you have to nurse them along pretty carefully.

Left Guard Gilbert |Ralph Henry Barbour
The music consists of a high-strung violin and a species of guitar.

The Life and Adventures of Kit Carson, the Nestor of the Rocky Mountains, from Facts Narrated by Himself |De Witt C. Peters

And though I hadn't no idee what them wuz, yet I always felt that the carriers of 'em must have felt solemn and high-strung.

Samantha on the Woman Question |Marietta Holley
He was a fair-complexioned, clever, high-strung Virginian, and managed to obtain a great deal of paper money from both republics.

Campaigns of a Non-Combatant, |George Alfred Townsend
It was eloquent, vibrating with eloquence, but too high-strung, I think.

Heart of Darkness |Joseph Conrad