testy

adjective

tes·​ty ˈte-stē How to pronounce testy (audio)
testier; testiest
Synonyms of testy
1
: easily annoyed : irritable
2
: marked by impatience or ill humor
testy remarks
testily
ˈte-stə-lē How to pronounce testy (audio)
adverb
testiness
ˈte-stē-nəs How to pronounce testy (audio)
noun

Synonyms of testy

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of testy in a Sentence

that coworker would be easier to get along with if she weren't so testy all the time
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Park’s case drew national attention in December when lawmakers pressed then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during a testy congressional hearing about veterans swept up in the crackdown. — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026 Reddington got particularly testy when asking Heilbrun whether the World Health Organization says women can experience postpartum depression and psychosis up to a year after giving birth. — Nbc News, NBC news, 25 Aug. 2026 Things have been testy between the offense and defense in Browns camp, and by now the Cleveland defense has seen just about everything the offense wants to run regardless of who’s under center. — Zac Jackson, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026 Before things got testy Wednesday night, Messi delivered a few memorable moments. — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for testy

Word History

Etymology

Middle English testif, from Anglo-French, headstrong, from teste head — more at tester entry 2

First Known Use

1523, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of testy was in 1523

Rhymes for testy

See All Rhymes for testy

Browse Nearby Words

testudo
testy
Tesuque
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Testy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/testy. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

testy

adjective
tes·​ty ˈtes-tē How to pronounce testy (audio)
testier; testiest
: easily annoyed : irritable
testily
-tə-lē How to pronounce testy (audio)
adverb
testiness
-tē-nəs How to pronounce testy (audio)
noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All