tetchy

or tech·y

[ tech-ee ]
See synonyms for: tetchytetchiness on Thesaurus.com

adjective,tetch·i·er, tetch·i·est.
  1. irritable; touchy.

Origin of tetchy

1
1585–95; origin uncertain; cf. tetched, -y1

Other words from tetchy

  • tetch·i·ly, adverb
  • tetch·i·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tetchy in a sentence

  • To all questions about diet Jebb would respond tetchily or carelessly.

    A Book about Doctors | John Cordy Jeaffreson
  • "She is a gentlewoman by birth, sir," said the old lady, tetchily.

    A Day's Ride | Charles James Lever
  • “Will you let me take my time, Bartlett,” said the doctor tetchily.

    Jack at Sea | George Manville Fenn

British Dictionary definitions for tetchy

tetchy

/ (ˈtɛtʃɪ) /


adjectivetetchier or tetchiest
  1. being or inclined to be cross, irritable, or touchy

Origin of tetchy

1
C16: probably from obsolete tetch defect, from Old French tache spot, of Germanic origin

Derived forms of tetchy

  • tetchily, adverb
  • tetchiness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012