English

Adjective

edgy ‎(comparative edgier, superlative edgiest)

1. nervous, apprehensive
2. (entertainment, advertising) creatively challenging; cutting edge; leading edge
3. (entertainment, advertising) on the edge between acceptable and offensive; pushing the boundaries of good taste; risqué
4. (dated) irritable

   an edgy temper

5. (art) Having some of the forms, such as drapery or the like, too sharply defined.
   • Hazlitt

     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. (of a knife or blade) Sharp.
7. (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?) (slang) Cool by virtue of being tough, dark, or badass.
   • 2013, Leonard Bell & ‎Kapka Kassabova, Marti Friedlander, ISBN 186940792X:

     His cool, somewhat edgy look is directed back at the photographer, as if she was too close, perhaps had seen too much.

   • 2014, S. K. Collins, Crooked G's, ISBN 1476752249, page 265:

     This former aspiring rapper-turned author brings out the heartfelt emotion in his writing from an edgy street-life perspective that leaves the reader begging for more.

   • 2015, Fodor's Travel Guides, Fodor's The Carolinas & Georgia, ISBN 1101878738:

     The full bar adds to the edgy attitude of the place, which stays open until midnight on weekends.

   • 2015, Mark Ribowsky, Whiskey Bottles and Brand-New Cars, ISBN 1569761647:

     The country part came in with their piquant nativist themes, an edgy, don't-****-with-me pose and attitude, a gnawing male chauvinism undercut by sentimentality for women, kin, and the Lord.

   • 2016, C. Desir, Other Broken Things, ISBN 1481437410:

     From the author of Bleed Like Me, which Booklist called “edgy, dark, and turbulent with passion” comes another compelling and gritty novel about addiction and forbidden romance—starring a fearless, unforgettable heroine.

Related terms

• on edge

Translations