testy
Americanadjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
See irritable.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of testy
First recorded in 1325–75; late Middle English testi, alteration of Middle French testu “headstrong”; replacing Middle English testif, from Middle French. See test 2, -ive
Explanation
You might feel a bit testy before taking a test, but the words test and testy are unrelated. Feeling testy means being peeved, annoyed, or irritated. The adjective testy is associated with being irritable and on edge. If you find yourself frustrated and becoming impatient, you might make a testy remark like “What the heck is taking so long?” If a family member is acting particularly cranky over breakfast, you might say, “Well, aren’t you testy this morning!” However, a comment like that could be met with a testy reply such as “Mind your own business!”
Vocabulary lists containing testy
Curmudgeon, Cantankerous and Churlish: Grouchy Words
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Out of the Dust
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Julius Caesar
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Testy exchanges over disputes were often balanced by promises to cooperate on areas of mutual interest, whether climate change or containing North Korea’s nuclear program.
From New York Times • Nov. 12, 2022
Dear Amy: "Testy Traveler" reported being bothered by her chatty seatmate, resulting in her writing a snarky text from her airplane seat, which the seatmate saw, causing a confrontation.
From Washington Post • Aug. 12, 2021
Testy relations between Iraq and Saudi Arabia have also undercut a coherent regional response to the Islamic State, which wants to destabilize both governments.
From Washington Times • Jul. 6, 2016
General in Afghanistan Under Fire for Testy Magazine Profile The top commander in Afghanistan, and his team, describe their diplomatic and political counterparts in robust terms in a Rolling Stone profile.
From Newsweek • Jun. 22, 2010
In the meantime the fierce feud between William the Testy and Killian Van Rensellaer, which at first had menaced deadly warfare, gradually cooled off, like many other war questions, in the prolonged delays of diplomacy.
From Knickerbocker's History of New York, Complete by Irving, Washington
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
