WORK UP Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

work up

verb

Definition of work up

as in to develop

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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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of work up He feels emotionally ambushed, and what plays out is as if Marriage Story were an absolute chucklefest, as Lestat gets increasingly worked up and jealous over Louis’s relationships with other men. — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 15 June 2026 Church’s numinous-sun-over-still-water routine had begun to look a bit like a shtick, equally applicable to scenes of the Hudson or those worked up from 20-year-old sketches of South America. — Susan Tallman, The Atlantic, 13 June 2026 Stroll on the Eastern Promenade to work up an appetite and take in views of Casco Bay. — Jacqueline Dole, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2026 These surveys drop a lot of hard, time-consuming work up front. — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 12 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for work up

Recent Examples of Synonyms for work up

Verb

Researchers have developed a paper-thin foot membrane that lets crawling microrobots harvest electricity directly from the ground beneath them, ditching heavy onboard batteries by turning metal and silicon surfaces into an active power source.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 8 Oct. 2026
Neil Carleton, a cancer biologist and first-year resident physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said that breast tumors can develop and grow differently in older patients than in younger ones because of hormone levels and inflammation.

— Allessandra DiCorato, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of develop

Verb

Perched above the picturesque fishing village of Ammoudi Bay, Epitome is a chance for the Canaves Oia collection to forge a new path in the island’s luxury market.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
This investigation could shed light on the hypothetical collision between Earth and a Mars-sized planetary body called Theia, which is thought to have spilled matter around our planet that coalesced to forge the moon billions of years ago.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of forge

Verb

Using sine wave generators and pink lighting so saturated it essentially blots out all other color and shadow, Young and Zazeela created a space that’s somehow both static and full of life.

— Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026
Simply liking someone, feeling close to them or spending hours together isn’t enough to create an attachment relationship.

— Pascal Vrticka, Scientific American, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of create

Verb

People with eating disorders may exhibit compulsive behaviors around both exercise and eating, including working out for multiple hours every day and carefully calculating every aspect of their diet.

— Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Szor's camera captures the glittering lights of the city and often peers into apartment windows, showing us Israeli citizens working out, eating meals and watching the news.

— Justin Chang, NPR, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of work out

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works up

work up

workwoman

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“Work up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/work%20up. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of work up

verb

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