touchy Meaning & Definition
What Does Touchy Mean?
As an adjective, touchy means Extremely sensitive or volatile; easily disturbed to the point of becoming unstable; requiring caution or tactfulness. It is also used to mean Easily offended, oversensitive. As a verb, it means To touch.
Touchy in Brief
| Part of speech | adjective, verb |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | //ˈtʌt͡ʃi// |
| Syllables | 1 |
| Synonyms | sensitive, feisty and ill-natured |
| Comparative / superlative | touchier, touchiest |
Touchy Definition (Adjective)
- 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.
- Easily offended, oversensitive.
He can be very touchy when you talk about his estranged son, so be as tactful as possible.
- Inclined to engage in physical touch.
Touchy as a Verb
- To touch.
Adjective
- (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; ticklish.
He can be very touchy when you talk about his cat, so be as tactful as possible.
Synonyms of Touchy
Antonyms of Touchy
No antonyms or near antonyms are listed by the available sources for this entry.
Touchy in a Sentence
It is an extremely touchy situation, with everybody's patience wearing thin.
He can be very touchy when you talk about his estranged son, so be as tactful as possible.
He can be very touchy when you talk about his cat, so be as tactful as possible.
Word Forms & Grammar
touchy (comparative touchier, superlative touchiest)
touchy
Words That Rhyme With Touchy
Origin of Touchy
A variant of earlier tetchy (“cranky, easily annoyed, difficult to handle”), under influence from some senses of touch (“affect, disturb”) and simulating touch + -y.
Touchy Pronunciation
You say touchy as //ˈtʌt͡ʃi//. It has 1 syllable.
Questions People Ask About Touchy
Is touchy an adjective or a verb?
Touchy is mainly used as an adjective, but it can also be used as a verb.
What is another word for touchy?
Words with a similar meaning to touchy include sensitive, feisty and ill-natured. See the full list of touchy synonyms and antonyms.
What are the comparative and superlative forms of touchy?
The comparative form is touchier and the superlative form is touchiest.