touchy

English

Etymology

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

IPA^(key): /ˈtʌt͡ʃi/
Audio (US) (file)

Rhymes: -ʌtʃi

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.
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 246633669, PC, scene: Bridge, Command Deck, SSV Normandy:
  Ashley: Look at the size of that ship!
  Kaidan: The Ascension. Flagship of the Citadel fleet.
  Joker: Well, size isn't everything.
  Ashley: Why so touchy, Joker?
  Joker: I'm just saying you need firepower, too.
(informal) Inclined to engage in physical touch.
Synonym: touchy-feely
Antonym: untouchy

Synonyms

(extremely sensitive): tetchy, delicate, touch and go
(easily irritated): tetchy, irritable, irascible, cranky

Translations

sensitive or volatile

Bulgarian: чувствителен (bg) (čuvstvitelen), раздразнителен (bg) (razdraznitelen)
Czech: netýkavý, popudlivý m, nevrlý m, podrážděný m
Finnish: arkaluonteinen (fi)
French: irascible (fr)
German: heikel (de), empfindlich (de)
Maori: whanewhane
Norwegian:
Bokmål: irritabel, hårsår (no)
Russian: чувстви́тельный (ru) (čuvstvítelʹnyj)
Turkish: hassas (tr), nazik (tr), ince (tr)

easily offended; oversensitive

Armenian: նեղացկոտ (hy) (nełacʿkot)
Bulgarian: докачлив (bg) (dokačliv), обидчив (bg) (obidčiv)
Catalan: susceptible
Czech: vztahovačný (cs), urážlivý (cs), háklivý
Finnish: herkkätunteinen, arkatunteinen
French: susceptible (fr)
German: gereizt (de), reizbar (de), übelnehmerisch (de), empfindlich (de), (colloquial) zickig (de)
Irish: drisíneach
Italian: permaloso (it), facilmente irritabile, suscettibile (it), irascibile (it)
Maori: taringa rahirahi, āritarita
Persian: زود رنج‎ (zud-ranj)
Russian: оби́дчивый (ru) (obídčivyj), раздражи́тельный (ru) m (razdražítelʹnyj)
Spanish: quisquilloso (es), picajoso, picajón
Swedish: stingslig, överkänslig (sv)
Turkish: alıngan (tr), darılgan (tr)

Anagrams

couthy