as in irritable
easily offended
a morose and tetchy resident of a nursing home
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tetchy
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
But an encounter on the road with a couple of hooligans leads instead to a courtroom in Detroit, where Raylan gives testimony and Willa is chastised by tetchy Judge Alvin Guy (Keith David, sonorous as always) for laughing at cat videos on her phone.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 17 July 2023
See all Example Sentences for tetchy 
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
But an encounter on the road with a couple of hooligans leads instead to a courtroom in Detroit, where Raylan gives testimony and Willa is chastised by tetchy Judge Alvin Guy (Keith David, sonorous as always) for laughing at cat videos on her phone.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 17 July 2023
See all Example Sentences for tetchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tetchy
Adjective
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This misalignment impairs your sleep and concentration, and can leave you feeling irritable.—
Mackenzie Gamble,
The Conversation,
10 Feb. 2025
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Here’s one way to take your mind off a certain election that seems to have everyone tense and irritable these days — consider that Tahoe ski season is almost here.—
Randy McMullen,
The Mercury News,
31 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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State of play: Immigration officials can raid churches and schools to arrest undocumented immigrants after the Trump administration scrapped a policy that protected sensitive spaces, Axios' April Rubin writes.—
Alex Golden,
Axios,
11 Feb. 2025
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The suit filed Tuesday is the second from a religious group to challenge the Trump administration's lifting of the sensitive locations policy.—
Sarah Ventre,
NPR,
11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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Read the full Virgo Daily Horoscope Libra (September 23 - October 22) Relationships can be touchy today.—
USA TODAY,
USA TODAY,
31 Dec. 2024
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Problems in Pennsylvania Pennsylvanians had already revealed themselves to be touchy about federal tax obligations.—
Joseph Thorndike,
Forbes,
9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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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
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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
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Cite this Entry
“Tetchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tetchy. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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