Synonyms

tetchy

American

[tech-ee] / ˈtɛtʃ i /

Or techy

adjective

tetchier, tetchiest

irritable; touchy.

tetchy British

/ ˈtɛtʃɪ /

adjective

being or inclined to be cross, irritable, or touchy

"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

Other Word Forms

tetchily adverb
tetchiness noun

Etymology

Origin of tetchy

1585–95; origin uncertain; tetched, -y ¹

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.

And after the tetchy, scratchy, emotional exchanges in the High Court, it's not something that you think he'll miss.

From BBC

Stokes said he was shell-shocked in some tetchy post-match media interactions, comments that were used against the captain as England lost the PR battle in the days after the Test.

From BBC

The relationship between the government and its backbenchers is at best tetchy, at its worst volcanic.

From BBC

I am not upset if he was a little tetchy.

From BBC

In a tetchy exchange, the officials insisted that the response had been swift and effective and that it was "untrue and insulting" to criticise.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023