ˈtəchē, -chi, dial ˈtech- or ˈtich- adjective
( -er/-est )
Etymology: touch (II) + -y
1. : marked by an oversensitive irritable temperament, by general readiness to take offense on slight provocation, or by delicate easily wounded sensitivity about specific matters
a touchy , uneasy friend … his intensest friendships generally came to grief — David Cecil
a little touchy about my spoon-feeding at first — Stephen Haggard
a man who had grown too touchy to make judicious decisions — Time
2. : responding quickly to a touch : extremely reactive: as
a. of a body part : acutely sensitive or irritable
b. of a chemical : highly explosive or inflammable
3. : calling for tact, care, and caution in treatment : likely to cause offense, chagrin, or hurt pride : uncertain in issue : fraught with danger : precarious
the job of governorship, when all men seemed set against change, was a brittle, touchy business — Julian Dana
military training is a touchy subject in the aftermath of war — M.W.Childs
4. : composed of dots or short strokes
touchy pencil drawing
Synonyms: see irascible