touchy

[tuhch-ee]

See more synonyms for touchy on Thesaurus.com

adjective, touch·i·er, touch·i·est.

apt to take offense on slight provocation; irritable: He is very touchy when he's sick.
requiring caution, tactfulness, or expert handling; precarious; risky: a touchy subject; a touchy situation.
sensitive to touch.

easily ignited, as tinder.

Origin of touchy

1595–1605; variant of techy² (a variant of tetchy), by association with touch

Related formstouch·i·ly, adverbtouch·i·ness, noun

Synonyms

See more synonyms for touchy on Thesaurus.com

1. testy, irascible, edgy, snappish, cranky. See irritable.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for touchy

Contemporary Examples

There are plenty of touchy subjects I am happy to discuss with my patients and their families.
Kids Don’t Know How Overweight They Really Are
Russell Saunders
July 29, 2014
Nobody else was as forthright with me about this touchy topic.
Reading Prison Novels In Prison
Daniel Genis
May 24, 2014
The question of military service is a touchier issue—but is it touchy enough to break up the band?
The Lapid-Bennett Alliance Is Breaking Down
Emily L. Hauser
December 6, 2013
But could sharp elbows and a touchy personality knock out this frontrunner too?
Can Chris Christie Avoid the Giuliani Jinx?
Lloyd Green
August 12, 2013
But a father's presence in the delivery room remains a touchy subject.
Sarkozy Missed Daughter's Birth—What People Think
Jessica Bennett
October 22, 2011

Historical Examples

These Cape Codders are self-respecting and touchy, you know.
Mary-'Gusta
Joseph C. Lincoln
Besides, he's a touchy person, and my husband is most tenacious regarding him.
Luttrell Of Arran
Charles James Lever
I have taken pains with the dialogue, and made it as sharp and touchy as I could.
Charles Lever, His Life in His Letters, Vol. II (of II)
Edmund Downey
Tim often said he would be a soldier when he came to be a man, and was touchy on the point.
Kilgorman
Talbot Baines Reed
For goodness' sake, don't take to gettin' touchy like some people are!
Patchwork
Anna Balmer Myers

British Dictionary definitions for touchy

touchy

adjective touchier or touchiest

easily upset or irritated; oversensitive
extremely risky
easily ignited

Derived Formstouchily, adverbtouchiness, 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

Word Origin and History for touchy

adj.

"too sensitive," c.1600, perhaps an alteration of tetchy (q.v.) influenced by touch (v.). Related: Touchiness.

touchy

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}touchy

Synonyms

Examples from the Web for touchy

Contemporary Examples

There are plenty of touchy subjects I am happy to discuss with my patients and their families.

Nobody else was as forthright with me about this touchy topic.

The question of military service is a touchier issue—but is it touchy enough to break up the band?

But could sharp elbows and a touchy personality knock out this frontrunner too?

But a father's presence in the delivery room remains a touchy subject.

Historical Examples

These Cape Codders are self-respecting and touchy, you know.

Besides, he's a touchy person, and my husband is most tenacious regarding him.

I have taken pains with the dialogue, and made it as sharp and touchy as I could.

Tim often said he would be a soldier when he came to be a man, and was touchy on the point.

For goodness' sake, don't take to gettin' touchy like some people are!

touchy

Word Origin and History for touchy

adj.

Origin of touchy