1
as in sensitive
easily offended
he's ticklish about his looks, so it's wisest to avoid the subject altogether
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in difficult
requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling
trying to tell him that his zipper is down without embarrassing him will be a ticklish task
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ticklish
Yes, their contempt votes are politically ticklish.
—
Michelle Cottle, Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2026
However, Apollo economist Torsten Slok said policymakers are in a ticklish spot now with inflation still above target and the soft jobs picture, putting the central bank’s dual goals of stable prices and full employment in conflict.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2025
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
Rubbing underarm is selected as a target motion of robot because previous research suggests that this is the best way for making humans feel ticklish.
—Erico Guizzo, IEEE Spectrum, 14 Oct. 2016
See All Example Sentences for ticklish
Michelle Cottle, Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2026
However, Apollo economist Torsten Slok said policymakers are in a ticklish spot now with inflation still above target and the soft jobs picture, putting the central bank’s dual goals of stable prices and full employment in conflict.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2025
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
Rubbing underarm is selected as a target motion of robot because previous research suggests that this is the best way for making humans feel ticklish.
—Erico Guizzo, IEEE Spectrum, 14 Oct. 2016
See All Example Sentences for ticklish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ticklish
Adjective
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But in all these cases, unopened soda is shelf-stable and not sensitive to refrigeration cycles.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
24 May 2026
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Raw vegetables may preserve nutrients that are sensitive to heat, while cooked vegetables can make others easier to absorb.—
Lynn Andriani,
Martha Stewart,
24 May 2026
Adjective
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Building the program had proved difficult.—
Andrew Carter,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
-
Sindcom 14-Piece Food Storage Containers Set The pantry is one of the most difficult places to organize thanks to boxes of cereal, pasta, baking ingredients, and more scattered about.—
Kelsey Fredricks,
PEOPLE,
24 May 2026
Adjective
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Although unconfirmed, sources also believe Biel may still be upset by photos published by The Sun in 2019 of Timberlake being touchy with his Palmer co-star Alisha Wainwright in New Orleans.—
Allison DeGrushe,
StyleCaster,
25 May 2026
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But they are mentioned without context, in a way that underlines the Smithsonian’s touchy relationship with an administration that has not hesitated to strong-arm the institution.—
Kelsey Ables,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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Management has partly attributed the membership slowdown to tougher comparisons from a year earlier, but there’s more to the story.—
Paulina Likos,
CNBC,
28 May 2026
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The California Assembly on Thursday overwhelming voted in favor of a bill that would prohibit children under 16 years old from having a social media account, setting up what is likely to continue to be a tough battle over the coming months.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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That’s because the Moon is at odds with Mars today and everyone is irritable.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
7 May 2026
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What are the symptoms of irritable bowel disease?—
Lindy Segal,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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That’s a lot of complicated, and at times conflicting, objectives to try to balance.—
Steven D. Reske,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
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So, the story is getting more complicated because more people are telling it, but also society is dealing with new ideas around environmentalism and second-wave feminism.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
23 May 2026
Adjective
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In the first week of testimony, Musk took the stand and couldn’t help but get tetchy.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
20 May 2026
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Edgily eager to shoot their scenes and get a move on with their acting lives, the increasingly tetchy trio are stuck in virtual drydock as all actual moviemaking has drained away.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Claire’s elective death therefore remains a problematic choice for some viewers, an act of vainglorious selfishness from a woman who was never terribly nice to begin with.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
24 May 2026
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The problematic types are the social wasps, who live together in a colony with a queen.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ticklish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ticklish. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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