twitchier; twitchiest
1
: marked by twitches or jerking movements : tending to twitch
Oliver did not think he would be able to sleep, but he did sleep—a restless, twitchy sleep filled with hideous dreams.Eva Ibbotson
Round-shouldered yet angular, he walked in a twitchy manner that recalled a spider, his oily hair swinging about his face.J. K. Rowling
2
: nervously on edge or fretful
This revelation was an incredible relief to those of us who get a little twitchy at the thought of making pasta …Jane Daniels Lear
There was action every minute, and so much momentum carrying the story forward that until I finished it, I was in a sort of twitchy agony if I got stuck doing anything else.Eric Konigsberg

Examples of twitchy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The character became a meme in its own right thanks to its blatantly non-canonical status, mysterious backstory, and odd, twitchy movements. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 29 Feb. 2024 After the interview, Vance comments on Berger's twitchy reaction to the idea of Ducky’s full autopsy turning up. Sara Netzley, EW.com, 20 Feb. 2024 Jane was staring into the refrigerator but came out with twitchy eyes and no food. Addie Citchens, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024 The balance between witty humor and monster mayhem is perfectly calibrated, with John Goodman bringing the laughs as a gregarious exterminator and Jeff Daniels providing twitchy paranoia as a small-town doctor with an intense phobia of all things arachnid. Katie Rife, EW.com, 19 Oct. 2023 Able to defy a medical history thickened by several severe injuries with Alabama, the lefty QB is showing the accuracy and twitchy movements that led Dolphins GM Chris Grier to select him over Herbert with the sixth pick in 2020. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Dec. 2023 Garrett followed up on the self-owns by doing a lengthy bit about still looking like a user of hard drugs both physically and because of his twitchy energy, despite being sober for a while . Josh Chesler, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2023 In response, the lanky, twitchy Sparks leans back on his heels, squints upward and tastes the air, tucking his thumbs into the waist of his pants like a prospector. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2023 The throttle felt a little twitchy for my taste, but the company says future versions of the software will include the ability to customize the throttle mapping as well as tweak the ride modes and the firmness of the suspension. WIRED, 3 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'twitchy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1787, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of twitchy was in 1787

Dictionary Entries Near twitchy

Cite this Entry

“Twitchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/twitchy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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