tetchy

adjective

ˈte-chē How to pronounce tetchy (audio)
Definition of tetchynext
as in irritable
easily offended a morose and tetchy resident of a nursing home

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of tetchy Smart, capable and quick-witted, Toha’s current joy comes from her relationship with Nelly (Khadija Ahmed), the spoiled granddaughter of her employer (Hanan Youssef), a tetchy, elderly diabetic. — Alissa Simon, Variety, 25 Feb. 2026 Hallmarks of the best Halloween travel destinations usually entail a moody fall landscape, local legends that involve a tetchy ghost, vampire, or other variety of ominous being, and themed activities like pumpkin patches and cemetery tours. — Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2025 Reynolds is a tetchy tyrant, who, enabled by his sister, Cyril (Lesley Manville), has embraced a need to have things just so as a means of warding off vulnerability. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025 England's last competitive result was a 1-0 win in Andorra back in June when Harry Kane scored the only goal in a surprisingly tetchy result for the visiting team. — Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tetchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tetchy
  1. irritable
  2. sensitive
  3. huffy
  4. touchy
  5. ticklish
  6. thin-skinned
Adjective
  • How skipping breakfast affects kids at school Nemours KidsHealth reports that kids who miss the morning meal often feel tired, restless or irritable by midmorning.
    — Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Skipping meals can negatively affect blood sugar levels and leave you feeling hungry, irritable, and unable to pay attention.
    — Mira Miller, Verywell Health, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of irritable
Adjective
  • Those could include remote sensors, autonomous underwater vehicles and other equipment that requires persistent, low-visibility power in remote and sensitive offshore and coastal environments, as well as power resiliency for forward military bases.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Musk’s officials infiltrated department after department, canceling contracts, firing employees, viewing sensitive data, and kneecapping programs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as foreign aid.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of sensitive
Adjective
  • Ben Green’s thumping bass leads to huffy breathing, which leads to bone-snapping drum machine rhythms and an ectoplasmic elastic guitar riff.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Eleven hours into this 15-hour shift, most of the attending’s best qualities — his pragmatic approach to medicine, his encouragement of young colleagues, his ability to roll with unexpected challenges — have curdled into huffy dismissiveness and defensive blind spots.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
Definition of huffy
Adjective
  • Know More The Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference moved this week to bar players who have signed pro contracts from playing college sports, a sign of how touchy the issue is as the college football season starts this weekend.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Beyond the backlash, regulating the glasses is a touchy subject, Quintin told Ars.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of touchy
Adjective
  • By combining literacy with something welcoming and familiar like food, Cruz hopes to make the ticklish topic more approachable.
    — Catharine Kaufman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2026
  • But all that interest, here, also can generate another ticklish dynamic.
    — Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 8 May 2026
Definition of ticklish
Adjective
  • Compared to thin-skinned fruits like apples or berries, citrus poses a much lower risk.
    — Lynn Andriani, Martha Stewart, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Earlier models suggested the effect would have resembled a worldwide broiler that was potentially deadly to exposed, thin-skinned animals, but not powerful enough to ignite vegetation across the globe.
    — Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of thin-skinned

Browse Nearby Words

testy
tetchy
tête-à-tête
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Cite this Entry

“Tetchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tetchy. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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