TOUCHY

delicate, ticklish, touchy

(adjective) difficult to handle; requiring great tact; “delicate negotiations with the big powers”; “hesitates to be explicit on so ticklish a matter”; “a touchy subject”

huffy, thin-skinned, feisty, touchy

(adjective) quick to take offense

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adjective

touchy (comparative touchier, superlative touchiest)

(of a situation) Extremely sensitive or volatile; easily disturbed to the point of becoming unstable; requiring caution or tactfulness.

(of a person) Easily offended; oversensitive; ticklish.

Anagrams

• couthy

Source: Wiktionary


Touch"y, a. Etym: [For techy, tetchy.]

Definition: Peevish; irritable; irascible; techy; apt to take fire. [Colloq.] It may be said of Dryden that he was at no time touchy about personal attacks. Saintsbury.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

29 May 2025

CRITICAL

(adjective) characterized by careful evaluation and judgment; “a critical reading”; “a critical dissertation”; “a critical analysis of Melville’s writings”


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