twitchy

American  

[twich-ee] / ˈtwɪtʃ i /

adjective

twitchier, twitchiest

1. twitching or tending to twitch.

2. nervous; jumpy.

   All that pressure at the office has made him twitchy.

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twitchy British  

/ ˈtwɪtʃɪ /

adjective

1. nervous, worried, and ill-at-ease

   he was twitchy with anticipation

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Other Word Forms

• twitchiness noun

Etymology

Origin of twitchy

First recorded in 1740–50; twitch + -y ¹

Example Sentences

But it made me twitchy not to be caught up on the current events of the day.

From Literature

He describes Paul's power as "twitchy… the kind where you think, 'oh, he's caught me there'."

From BBC

Especially the kind posed by small, twitchy animals.

From Literature

The child was quite attached to her twitchy, beady-eyed pet.

From Literature

Ms. Danes gives a jumpy, twitchy, nervous performance, but Aggie remains sympathetic.

From The Wall Street Journal