touchy
Appearance
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]A variant of earlier tetchy (“cranky, easily annoyed, difficult to handle”), under influence from some senses of touch (“affect, disturb”) and simulating touch + -y.
Pronunciation
[edit]- Rhymes: -ʌtʃi
Adjective
[edit]touchy (comparative touchier, superlative touchiest)
- (of a situation) Extremely sensitive or volatile; easily disturbed to the point of becoming unstable; requiring caution or tactfulness.
- It is an extremely touchy situation, with everybody's patience wearing thin.
- (of a person) Easily offended, oversensitive.
- He can be very touchy when you talk about his cat, so be as tactful as possible.
- 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Bridge, Command Deck, SSV Normandy:
- (informal) Inclined to engage in physical touch.
- Synonym: touchy-feely
- Antonym: untouchy
Synonyms
[edit]- (extremely sensitive): tetchy, delicate, touch and go
- (easily irritated): tetchy, irritable, irascible, cranky
Derived terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]sensitive or volatile
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easily offended; oversensitive
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