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Webster 1913 Edition

Touchy

Touch′y

,

Adj.

[For

techy

,

tetchy

.]

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.

Webster 1828 Edition

Touchy

TOUCHY

,

Adj.

tuch'y. [vulgarly techy.] Peevish; irritable; irascible; apt to take fire. [Not elegant.]

Definition 2024

touchy

touchy

English

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.
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.

Related terms

touchy-feely

Translations

sensitive or volatile

Czech: netýkavý
German: heikel (de), empfindlich (de)

Russian: чувстви́тельный (ru) ‎(čuvstvítelʹnyj)
Turkish: hassas (tr), nazik (tr), ince (tr)

easily offended; oversensitive

Armenian: նեղացկոտ (hy) ‎(nełacʿkot)
French: susceptible (fr)
German: gereizt (de), reizbar (de), übelnehmerisch, empfindlich (de), (colloquial) zickig (de)

Italian: permaloso (it), facilmente irritabile, suscettibile (it)
Maori: taringa rahirahi, āritarita
Persian: زود رنج ‎(zud-ranj)
Russian: оби́дчивый (ru) ‎(obídčivyj)
Turkish: alıngan (tr), darılgan (tr)

See also