Touchy

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈtʌt͡ʃi/

Definitions

1. Easily offended or oversensitive to criticism, or requiring careful handling due to delicate nature
2. Prone to taking offense easily and needing cautious approach, as well as being sensitive about particular issues or topics
3. Having a tendency to be easily upset by minor issues and demanding a gentle touch due to its sensitive nature

Etymology: "Touchy" is a case of a word whose spelling was reshaped by a neighbour. Its direct ancestor is "tetchy," meaning cranky, easily irritated, or hard to deal with. Over time, "touchy" took over that sense, partly because of the verb "touch" in its older meanings of affecting or disturbing someone, so a person who was easily stung seemed to be someone who could be "touched" in a painful way. The spelling then moved further toward "touch" itself. The "-y" ending is the ordinary English suffix that turns a noun into an adjective meaning "full of" or "having the quality of," and "touchy" was shaped to look like touch plus that suffix. The result is a word whose current spelling suggests a physical sense of touch, even though its roots lie in the older, irritable "tetchy."

Synonyms: sensitive, irritable, easily offended

Antonyms: unemotional, tolerant, easygoing