Definitions

touchy

[tuhch-ee] / ˈtʌtʃ i /

ADJECTIVE

easily offended

Synonyms

STRONGEST

delicate dicey hypersensitive jumpy precarious risky sensitive testy ticklish tricky uptight volatile

WEAK

bad-tempered bundle of nerves cantankerous captious choleric crabbed cranky cross grouchy grumpy hazardous irascible irritable mean ornery oversensitive peevish perturbable pettish petulant querulous quick-tempered splenetic surly temperamental thin-skinned unpredictable unsafe wired up wound-up

Antonyms

STRONG

calm collected easy easygoing insensitive laid-back unflappable

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“One of the biggest things I struggle with is judgment, so opening up or writing about touchy subjects or things that mean something to me was hard,” Lani said.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2026

Instead, she at first finds Mr. Hamm’s “Mad Men” costar, a touchy John Slattery, living out of his garage.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

"He captures Dylan's craning stance and the way he used hair and sunglasses as a mask, the insistent buzz and keen of his speaking and singing voice and the odd, touchy, insularity."

From BBC • Dec. 11, 2024

Do business people want to see that horse, now creaking with age and even more touchy and unpredictable, let loose in the ICU all over again?

From Salon • Sep. 8, 2024

But Al Ulbrickson wasn’t one to waste a lot of time trying to figure out a touchy kid’s tender spots.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Vocabulary lists containing touchy

The Catcher in the Rye

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Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life

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The Battle of the Labyrinth

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!