Scratchy

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈskɹæt͡ʃi/

Definitions

1. Rough or harsh to the touch or sound, causing irritation or discomfort
2. Characterized by a texture or sound that is unpleasantly coarse or irritating, resulting in discomfort or annoyance
3. Having a harsh or irritating quality in either texture or sound, often leading to a feeling of discomfort or unease

Etymology: "Scratchy" is a plain formation: the adjective "scratchy" is "scratch" plus the suffix "-y", which turns a noun or verb into an adjective meaning "having or characterized by" the thing named. A scratchy sweater is one that has the quality of scratching the skin. The suffix itself goes back a long way. It descends from an Old English ending, "-ig", which was later spelled "-y" in Middle English and has remained in use ever since, attaching to countless nouns and verbs to make adjectives like "rainy", "hairy" and "sleepy". The base word "scratch" is the more interesting part of the story, since its origins are less settled than the suffix's. Its exact ancestry is uncertain, so the word is best understood as a formation built from "scratch" and "-y" rather than as one with a traceable inherited lineage of its own.

Synonyms: rough, irritating, stiff

Antonyms: smooth, soft