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Synonyms

trigger-happy

American  
[trig-er-hap-ee] / ˈtrɪg ərˌhæp i /

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 British  

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
trigger happy Idioms  

  1. 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]

Etymology

Origin of trigger-happy

First recorded in 1940–45

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.

The action is punctuated by booming sound effects — canned applause, the “wah-wah” of a sad trombone and a hyperactive electronic buzzer, among them — coming from a trigger-happy soundboard operator behind the coffee counter.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

Many of those stocks soon after clawed back much of their losses, leaving some investors to describe the market as trigger-happy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

Don’t get trigger-happy and sell because of headlines.

From Barron's • Nov. 20, 2025

Vance was also, in effect, portraying the American military personnel who sank the boats as trigger-happy, prone to mistake a fishing boat for a drug vessel and feeling guiltless about doing so.

From Slate • Sep. 18, 2025

However, a couple of trigger-happy vedettes let off their carbines at them, yelled, "The Rebs are coming!" and galloped for the schoolhouse.

From Rebel Raider by Piper, H. Beam

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.