testy

play

adjective tes·ty \ ˈtes-tē \

Definition of testy

testier; testiest

1 :easily annoyed :irritable

2 :marked by impatience or ill humor

testy remarks

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testily

play \-tə-lē\ adverb

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testiness

play \-tē-nəs\ noun

See testy defined for English-language learners

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Examples of testy in a Sentence

that coworker would be easier to get along with if she weren't so testy all the time

Recent Examples of testy from the Web

At times the exchanges between Benson and Buncich became testy, as Buncich wanted to provide longer answers.

— craig lyons, Post-Tribune, "In second day on the stand, Lake County sheriff continues to deny soliciting bribes from tow operators," 18 Aug. 2017
Swift’s testy exchange with Mueller’s attorney occasionally elicited chuckles — even from the six-woman, two-man jury.

— tatiana flowers, The Seattle Times, "Lawsuit tossed in Taylor Swift trial, but ordeal isn’t over," 12 Aug. 2017
Russell Wilson and Kam Chancellor embrace in a more friendly moment during Tuesday’s otherwise testy practice.

— peter king, SI.com, "Seattle Seahawks Get Chippy in Practice Befitting Their Competitive Culture," 2 Aug. 2017
The idea was born after a testy neighbor called the cops on former Ford vehicle engineering chief Steve von Foerster when his Shelby GT350 Mustang’s engine roar broke the quiet of his suburban Detroit neighborhood one morning.

— mark phelan, Detroit Free Press, "Ford Mustang adds stealth mode for 2018," 1 Aug. 2017
Broughton spends the movie in a testy interrogation with her MI6 boss (Toby Jones) and a CIA chief (John Goodman).

— jake coyle, Cincinnati.com, "Review: Theron is all action in ‘Atomic Blonde’," 26 July 2017
The testy rivalry between Diaz and Diaz de la Portilla — who released a pair of polls early on boasting about his broad name identification — suggested the race could be close.

— patricia mazzei and alexandria bordas, miamiherald, "Diaz, Taddeo win easily in special Miami Senate primaries," 25 July 2017
In January 2014, Koonin oversaw a daylong symposium to discuss the American Physical Society's statement on climate change where the debate became testy.

— hannah northey, Science | AAAS, "Trump EPA eyes former Obama energy official to lead climate science face-off," 24 July 2017
The suggestions provoked a testy response from the board's chairman: Murdoch, son of media mogul Rupert, has held multiple roles within his father's empire—including head of European satellite broadcaster Sky—before taking the reins at Fox in 2015.

— daniel bentley, Fortune, "Tesla Finally Adds Independent Directors to Its Board," 17 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'testy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.