1
2
3
as in combustible
capable of catching or being set on fire the experiment involves the use of some touchy chemicals, so caution is required

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 touchy The controls are touchy when inserting the buds, but otherwise convenient thanks to both a multi-key and volume rocker. Ryan Waniata, Wired News, 27 May 2025 That remains a politically touchy issue in the U.K., seen by some Brexiteers as inching back toward free movement, according to the Associated Press. Danielle Wallace, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2025 In that sense, the vulgar Vader situation creates a touchy dilemma for Epic Games and Disney, which likely invested substantially in this high-profile collaboration. ArsTechnica, 16 May 2025 Few things in life are touchier or more prone to argument than the topic of favorite sports movies. Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for touchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touchy
Adjective
  • Businesses cannot process sensitive data without obtaining consumer consent.
    Karoline Leonard, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
  • The website Health in Her Hue, for example, connects Black women and women of color to culturally sensitive healthcare providers.
    Maia Niguel Hoskin, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
Adjective
  • Some students may face family challenges that affect their ability to get to school, and some changes to the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness test, such as its move to online instead of paper form, could be difficult for students who only access computers at school, Maldonado said.
    Keri Heath, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
  • Diseases that are difficult to manage without early intervention, including diabetes, heart disease and cancer, place a significant burden on health care budgets and patient quality of life.
    Kim Praitano, Sun Sentinel, 29 July 2025
Adjective
  • Mitchell said one of his top tips for protecting a home from a wildfire is to clear combustible materials such as wood piles and dead and dying vegetation from within 0 to 5 feet of a structure, identified as Zone 0.
    Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 July 2025
  • The fire department issued a premise hazard notice – which was removed after the combustible materials were removed.
    Taylor O’Connor July 23, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2025
Adjective
  • Despite its self-destructive proclivities, the irritable giant has managed to make, and keep, a friend.
    Robin George Andrews, New York Times, 22 July 2025
  • 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
Adjective
  • The tougher policy changes are adding to the minors’ trauma, advocates say.
    Nicol León, AZCentral.com, 22 July 2025
  • In fact, child therapists have been using play to help kids work through tough toddler milestones inside their offices for decades, Margolin explains.
    Liz Regalia, Parents, 21 July 2025
Adjective
  • In order to help retrieve the man from the cave, rescuers widened the cave using explosive charges at three key junctures carrying him to the surface.
    Ashley J. DiMella, FOXNews.com, 21 July 2025
  • The blaze broke out on July 13 and burned for several days before undergoing explosive growth fueled by strong winds, high temperatures and low humidity.
    Christopher Cann, USA Today, 21 July 2025
Adjective
  • Britain has since struck a trade deal with the U.S., however, becoming the first country to do so as tetchy trade talks continue for other trading partners, including the European Union which is still waiting to sign a trade agreement with Washington.
    Jenni Reid,Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 11 July 2025
  • Her new novel, Spent, tells the story of one Alison Bechdel, a tetchy lesbian cartoonist running a pygmy-goat sanctuary in Vermont who is trying to write a memoir about the corrupting influence of money.
    Andrea Long Chu, Vulture, 16 June 2025
Adjective
  • At the corner, the man is seen dragging the animal into the street, pouring a flammable liquid on it, and setting it on fire before running off.
    Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 26 July 2025
  • Nonnative grasses can be extremely flammable and spread quickly, increasing the risk and intensity of a wildfire.
    John Leos, AZCentral.com, 15 July 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Touchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touchy. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on touchy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!