TOUCHY Synonyms: 134 Similar and Opposite Words

touchy

adjective

ˈtə-chē

Definition of touchy

as in sensitive

easily offended watch what you say around him, as he's very touchy about every little thing

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in difficult

requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling money is a touchy subject for many people and shouldn't be discussed casually

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in combustible

capable of catching or being set on fire the experiment involves the use of some touchy chemicals, so caution is required

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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 touchy Also, steer clear of controversial issues, because this is a touchy day for everyone. — Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 1 Sep. 2026 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 The question of making a living as an end-of-life doula can be touchy. — Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for touchy

Recent Examples of Synonyms for touchy

Adjective

Over the past decade, cyberattacks against the education sector have risen expeditiously, exposing sensitive data, temporarily disrupting school operations and affecting students' learning.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
Deisseroth, a Stanford professor, helped adapt a light-sensitive protein discovered by Hegemann and Nagel into a way to control nerve cells in living mice.

— Kostya Manenkov, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of sensitive

Adjective

Finding people at high risk of incubating the Bundibugyo virus, also known as contact tracing, has proved difficult in Congo.

— CONSTANT SAME BAGALWA, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026
McKinsey’s data says some of those moves can be difficult for certain workers.

— Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of difficult

Adjective

The products were largely designed as a harm reduction tool to help smokers transition from combustible cigarettes to a nicotine product with fewer adverse health effects.

— Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026
Police also reported discovering combustible materials inside the suspect’s vehicle.

— Ariella Noveck, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of combustible

Adjective

Schrader approaches some pretty tetchy, third-rail territory, doing some debating about whether one act of child abuse means that John is, inherently, a child abuser by nature.

— Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2026
And then an ignominious end to her Indian Wells title defense, which saw her cursing at the crowd after a tense, tetchy loss to Kateřina Siniaková in her second match.

— Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 2 June 2026

Definition of tetchy

Adjective

Now, Germino says her social media presence is all about giving other patients going through the same tough decision an example of someone who’s thriving after the procedure.

— Kara McGrath, Allure, 6 Oct. 2026
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu's administration is about to start tough budget negotiations against a backdrop of division and economic turmoil.

— Chloe Taylor,Jenni Reid, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of tough

Adjective

Instead of striking the target with an explosive warhead, the laser transfers energy into the target’s surface.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
In December 2024, Ellaboudy took sick leave from his employment because he was exposed to highly concentrated nitric acid, which is used to make explosive materials.

— David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of explosive

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

That can become especially problematic after retirement, when income may be more limited and unexpected expenses could otherwise push card balances higher.

— Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026
There was a palpable sense of everything crumbling around you in terms of the culture, and even social interaction became problematic.

— Shaad D’Souza, Pitchfork, 7 Oct. 2026