testy

[ tes-tee ]

/ ˈtɛs ti /

adjective, tes·ti·er, tes·ti·est.

irritably impatient; touchy.

Words nearby testy

teston, testosterone, testudinal, testudinate, testudo, testy, tet, tet offensive, tetanic, tetaniform, tetanigenous

Origin of testy

1325–75; late Middle English testi, alteration of Middle French testu headstrong; replacing Middle English testif < Middle French. See test², -ive

SYNONYMS FOR testy

tetchy, edgy, snappish, cross, irascible. See irritable.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR testy ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR testy

composed.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR testy ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM testy

tes·ti·ly, adverbtes·ti·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for testy

The Anglo-American “conversations” about the timing of the second front often grew heated and testy.
D-Day Historian Craig Symonds Talks About History’s Most Amazing Invasion|Marc Wortman|June 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I've never seen a government official get quite this testy with a reporter.
State Department Aide Tells Reporter to ‘Fuck Off’|Megan McArdle|September 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
There is a relationship that develops, tense and often testy, between a journalist and his quarry.
How a Freelance Journalist Unraveled Jonah Lehrer’s Lies|Howard Kurtz|August 1, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Meanawhile, there are headlines about Obama getting “testy” with reporter Brad Watson of WFAA in Dallas.
Tale of Two Testy Interviews|Howard Kurtz|April 19, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Given her testy relations with management, it would be easy to label Simpson a troublemaker.
Carole Simpson's Network Battle Scars|Howard Kurtz|January 5, 2011|DAILY BEAST
"There is no arguing with women," her brother had said, with a testy shrug of his shoulders.
Sir Christopher|Maud Wilder Goodwin
She could not believe Milly meant to take her testy remark seriously.
One Woman's Life|Robert Herrick
It had dissolved partnership wi' Testy an' gooan to realms aboon.
Yorksher Puddin'|John Hartley
He is not so testy as of yore, a change that fills Dulce's heart with misgivings.
Portia|Duchess
The Baronet was testy thinking over all this, and looked on Feltram's message as an impertinence and the money as his own.
J. S. Le Fanu's Ghostly Tales, Volume 3|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

British Dictionary definitions for testy

testy

/ (ˈtɛstɪ) /

adjective -tier or -tiest

irritable or touchy

Derived forms of testy

testily, adverbtestiness, noun

Word Origin for testy

C14: from Anglo-Norman testif headstrong, from Old French teste head, from Late Latin testa skull, from Latin: shell

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

testy

adjective, tes·ti·er, tes·ti·est.

Words related to testy

Words nearby testy

Origin of testy

SYNONYMS FOR testy

ANTONYMS FOR testy

OTHER WORDS FROM testy

Examples from the Web for testy

British Dictionary definitions for testy

adjective -tier or -tiest

Derived forms of testy

Word Origin for testy