as in emotional
showing feeling freely
she is too touchy-feely and he is too stiff-upper-lip for their relationship to ever work out
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Recent Examples of touchy-feely
Despite that seemingly blasé way the pair first met, the documentary is willing to get a bit more touchy-feely than Lewis herself, making a sterling argument that the duo were really just two pieces of one entity.
—
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 17 July 2025
But empathy is a bit too touchy-feely as a consistent motivation—at least for me.
—Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 24 June 2025
Some people just aren’t touchy-feely — and that’s their prerogative.
—Catherine Pearson, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Bringing more manufacturing back to US shores, including the iPhone assembly work that Trump seems so keen on would surely require greater use of robots—especially systems with the touchy-feely skills needed to manipulate small, intricate components.
—Will Knight, Wired News, 7 May 2025
Valerie Bertinelli is standing up for Drew Barrymore and her naturally touchy-feely personality.
—EW.com, 31 Jan. 2025
Drew Barrymore admitted that she has been warned about her notorious touchy-feely interview style.
—Ashley Hume, Fox News, 11 Dec. 2024
Collaboration gets pegged as: a waste of time (pulls people away from focused, individual work)
a way to get slow people up to speed at the expense of fast people
fluffy and touchy-feely
The brain science tells a different story.
—Kevin Kruse, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
So, naturally, when one of Jacob’s students becomes patient zero of a ringworm outbreak at Abbott, the touchy-feely bubble of the early stage of Gregory’s relationship with Janine quickly bursts, becoming their first real speed bump since going public.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2024
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 17 July 2025
But empathy is a bit too touchy-feely as a consistent motivation—at least for me.
—Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 24 June 2025
Some people just aren’t touchy-feely — and that’s their prerogative.
—Catherine Pearson, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Bringing more manufacturing back to US shores, including the iPhone assembly work that Trump seems so keen on would surely require greater use of robots—especially systems with the touchy-feely skills needed to manipulate small, intricate components.
—Will Knight, Wired News, 7 May 2025
Valerie Bertinelli is standing up for Drew Barrymore and her naturally touchy-feely personality.
—EW.com, 31 Jan. 2025
Drew Barrymore admitted that she has been warned about her notorious touchy-feely interview style.
—Ashley Hume, Fox News, 11 Dec. 2024
Collaboration gets pegged as: a waste of time (pulls people away from focused, individual work)
a way to get slow people up to speed at the expense of fast people
fluffy and touchy-feely
The brain science tells a different story.
—Kevin Kruse, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
So, naturally, when one of Jacob’s students becomes patient zero of a ringworm outbreak at Abbott, the touchy-feely bubble of the early stage of Gregory’s relationship with Janine quickly bursts, becoming their first real speed bump since going public.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touchy-feely
Adjective
-
They are then adopted out to be a pet or are placed in police, fire and EMS stations to provide emotional support.—
Nicole Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
-
The vote dashed the hopes of those with the 156-year-old Art Academy, who gave emotional pleas in recent weeks to city leaders for help.—
Scott Wartman,
The Enquirer,
30 July 2025
Adjective
-
But, outside of the kennel, Newton is a different dog: eager, affectionate, and incredibly responsive to praise.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 July 2025
-
Part of the fun of Austen’s novels is her affectionate skewering of that world order.—
Brandon Taylor,
Time,
17 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Touchy-feely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touchy-feely. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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