as in irritable
easily offended
a morose and tetchy resident of a nursing home
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Janet has a boyfriend on the premises, too: a terse, tetchy older fellow named Wayne (Will Patton), who mostly keeps to himself.
—
Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 14 June 2024
Laying bright, bracing guitars over taut, tetchy, minimalist drums and bass, their sound brings to mind Wire and the very earliest Cure and Echo and the Bunnymen.
—Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 14 June 2024
Wentz had already had a tetchy relationship with a previous high-profile backup, Nick Foles, and Hurts was no sure thing: in college, at Alabama, he’d been benched in the middle of the national championship game in favor of Tua Tagovailoa, who was seen as a more dynamic, high-upside prospect.
—Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2023
His years of watching films and writing about them had given him a tetchy sort of autonomy.
—Rachel Cusk, Harper's Magazine, 10 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for tetchy
Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 14 June 2024
Laying bright, bracing guitars over taut, tetchy, minimalist drums and bass, their sound brings to mind Wire and the very earliest Cure and Echo and the Bunnymen.
—Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 14 June 2024
Wentz had already had a tetchy relationship with a previous high-profile backup, Nick Foles, and Hurts was no sure thing: in college, at Alabama, he’d been benched in the middle of the national championship game in favor of Tua Tagovailoa, who was seen as a more dynamic, high-upside prospect.
—Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2023
His years of watching films and writing about them had given him a tetchy sort of autonomy.
—Rachel Cusk, Harper's Magazine, 10 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for tetchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tetchy
Adjective
-
Cold exposure is particularly helpful for those who have irritable skin through the constriction of blood vessels, alleviating swelling and flushes.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
Newsweek,
24 Feb. 2025
-
The elderly single mom, played with an irritable, bone-deep bitterness by Irish actor Fiona Shaw, has spent the past few years paralyzed by an illness no one can diagnose.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The indictment alleges Tian also sent Duan links to Google Drive accounts containing sensitive information on US military weapons systems, such as Bradley and Stryker US Army fighting vehicles.—
Karina Tsui,
CNN,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Ilia’s Clean Line Gel Eyeliner is a sight for sensitive eyes.—
Annie Blackman,
Allure,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Inevitably all this tumult attracts the attention of a trio of huffy rival confectioners, Slugworth (Paterson Joseph), Prodnose (Matt Lucas), and Fickelgruber (Mathew Baynton).—
Peter Rainer,
The Christian Science Monitor,
15 Dec. 2023
-
Its engagingly huffy maestro, Michel Troisgros, is preparing to hand over the reins to César, his eldest son and head chef.—
Peter Rainer,
The Christian Science Monitor,
30 Nov. 2023
Adjective
-
Swathes of people across the world grew up with the Shrek films—and that can make sequels released decades after the original (like Shrek 5) a touchy subject.—
Callum Booth,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
-
The blast of attention falls at a touchy time for Greenland.—
Maya Tekeli,
New York Times,
8 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
It’s certainly made for these (end) times: a lushly surreal, cynically ticklish goof on the ineffectiveness of political summits as apocalyptic dread mounts.—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Oct. 2024
-
While plenty of jokers and pranksters offered responses, most users responded by unexpectedly trauma-dumping on the ticklish Muppet.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
31 Jan. 2024
Articles Related to tetchy
Cite this Entry
“Tetchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tetchy. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share