touchy

[ tuhch-ee ]

/ ˈtʌtʃ i /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: touchy / touchiness 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR touchy

1 testy, irascible, edgy, snappish, cranky.

See synonyms for touchy on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of touchy

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

synonym study for touchy

1. See irritable.

OTHER WORDS FROM touchy

touch·i·ly, adverbtouch·i·ness, noun

Words nearby touchy

touch-tackle, touch-tone, touch-type, touch-up, touchwood, touchy, touchy-feely, Touggourt, tough, tough break, toughen

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use touchy in a sentence

If the judge allows the bankruptcy filing to proceed, he will then weigh other touchy questions, including a request from a dissenting NRA board member who has asked the judge to appoint an independent examiner to review the organization’s finances.
NRA faces internal woes as it girds for new gun control fight|Tom Hamburger|March 26, 2021|Washington Post
Alas, some of the creature comforts are almost too high tech, like the touchy steering-wheel audio controls and numerous options for accessing and updating channels and presets.
Sport sedans make spirited return|Joe Phillips|March 19, 2021|Washington Blade
This one topic, however, seems to be especially touchy for him, and I'm truly at a loss on how to broach it.
Carolyn Hax: How to improve on ‘I cook, you clean’ without stirring the pot|Carolyn Hax|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
Now you’re thinking that maybe you’re no longer attractive enough, which is sort of his thought about himself, and you’re touchy.
Is the Sex Solution Worse Than the Sex Problem?|Eugene Robinson|February 2, 2021|Ozy

The international negotiations are often touchy, time consuming and incremental.
The U.S. will leave the Paris climate accord on Nov. 4. But voters will decide for how long.|Steven Mufson, Brady Dennis|October 30, 2020|Washington Post
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|DAILY BEAST
And second, movies are a particularly touchy subject for the Hermit Kingdom.
Is ‘The Interview’ About to Launch a Nuclear Sequel War?|Kevin Bleyer|June 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nobody else was as forthright with me about this touchy topic.
Reading Prison Novels In Prison|Daniel Genis|May 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
For goodness' sake, don't take to gettin' touchy like some people are!
Patchwork|Anna Balmer Myers
No small stint I had of it too; for he was peevish and touchy as a young badger.
Left on Labrador|Charles Asbury Stephens
Yet the intrinsic quality of the event moved his touchy sensitiveness less than its conjectured effect upon the minds of others.
Tess of the d'Urbervilles|Thomas Hardy
We been hearing down at the camp you were so mighty touchy you didn't allow a man within a rod of the line.
Freckles|Gene Stratton-Porter
The boney finger moved inward from the trigger guard and closed ever so gently about the touchy, hair-filed trigger—then waited.
The Escape of Mr. Trimm|Irvin S. Cobb

British Dictionary definitions for touchy

touchy

/ (ˈtʌtʃɪ) /

adjective touchier or touchiest

easily upset or irritated; oversensitive

extremely risky

easily ignited

Derived forms of touchy

touchily, 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

touchy

OTHER WORDS FOR touchy

Origin of touchy

synonym study for touchy

OTHER WORDS FROM touchy

Words nearby touchy

Words related to touchy

How to use touchy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for touchy

Derived forms of touchy