Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for trigger-happy

trigger-happy

[ trig-er-hap-ee ]

adjective

, Informal.
  1. ready to fire a gun at the least provocation, regardless of the situation or probable consequences:

    a trigger-happy hunter.

  2. heedless and foolhardy in matters of great importance and recklessly advocating action that can result in war:

    Some called him a trigger-happy candidate.

  3. eager to point out the mistakes or shortcomings of others; aggressively or wantonly critical:

    He's a trigger-happy editor with a nervous blue pencil.



trigger-happy

adjective

  1. tending to resort to the use of firearms or violence irresponsibly
  2. tending to act rashly or without due consideration
“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


Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of trigger-happy1

First recorded in 1940–45
Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

Inclined to act violently at the slightest provocation, as in They feared that the President was trigger happy and would send in troops at the drop of a hat . This expression alludes to being too eager to fire a gun. [c. 1940]
Discover More

Example Sentences

Jace Lacob: While watching this, I kept thinking to myself that the grumpy, trigger-happy dad should be played by James Caan.

What the gun owner claims as self-defense often looks, on closer examination, more like trigger-happy recklessness.

The more details emerge, the more it looks as if Martin was hunted and killed by a trigger-happy bully.

But any action would be crushed by trigger-happy Republicans—and could cost votes in November.

Dale Peterson Gets Trigger-Happy Is it possible to take the Constitution too seriously?

However, a couple of trigger-happy vedettes let off their carbines at them, yelled, "The Rebs are coming!"

Uncle John provided our hunting excitement by turning out to be one of the trigger-happy types.

Suppose he broke surface right in front of a flock of trigger-happy Enforcers?

At least, he was reasonably sure that none of Klem Zareff's trigger-happy mercenaries would shoot him down coming in.

The man in charge saw Gilgamesh on the alarm screens and got trigger-happy.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


triggerfishtriggerman