as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed
that coworker would be easier to get along with if she weren't so testy all the time
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Recent Examples of testy
The end of the match included some testy exchanges between teams mid-match.
—
Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
And that renders South Africa’s relationship to America brittle, testy, and complicated.
—Jonny Steinberg, Time, 22 May 2025
The president has been seen by critics as siding too much with Putin and over Zelensky and Ukraine over the war, a sense augmented by a testy blowup in the White House in February during an on-camera press event featuring Trump, Vice President Vance and the Ukrainian leader.
—Ian Swanson, The Hill, 19 May 2025
In what had already been a physical, testy first seven minutes, as the Pacers were attempting to inbound the ball with 4:32 left, Mathurin appeared to punch Hunter, who was guarding him.
—Joe Vardon, New York Times, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for testy
Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
And that renders South Africa’s relationship to America brittle, testy, and complicated.
—Jonny Steinberg, Time, 22 May 2025
The president has been seen by critics as siding too much with Putin and over Zelensky and Ukraine over the war, a sense augmented by a testy blowup in the White House in February during an on-camera press event featuring Trump, Vice President Vance and the Ukrainian leader.
—Ian Swanson, The Hill, 19 May 2025
In what had already been a physical, testy first seven minutes, as the Pacers were attempting to inbound the ball with 4:32 left, Mathurin appeared to punch Hunter, who was guarding him.
—Joe Vardon, New York Times, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for testy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for testy
Adjective
-
Determined to make a clean SPF, Brown says a chemical formula was out of the question (chemical sunscreens are often thought to be unsafe for the coral reef and irritable to sensitive skin types).—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
9 July 2025
-
In my own experience, poor sleep has frequently been the reason behind feeling tired and irritable.—
Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt,
CNN Money,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
Turn four, in particular, put on a display of fiery orange and red, visible to the naked eye.—
Kristin Shaw,
ArsTechnica,
10 July 2025
-
Turner, a fiery redhead and one of the heroes for the Los Angeles Dodgers during their 2020 title run, promptly ripped a pitch into the left-field seats, spoiling the shutout.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Testy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/testy. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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