tetchier; tetchiest
: irritably or peevishly sensitive : touchy
… the tetchy manner of two women living in the same house …—
Elizabeth Taylor †1975
Elizabeth Taylor †1975
tetch·i·ness
variants
or less commonly techiness
-chēnə̇s,
-chin-
plural -es
: the quality or state of being tetchy
Did you know?
One of the first cited uses of tetchy occurs in William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet (1596). Etymologists are not certain how the word came about, but some have suggested that it derives from tetch, an obsolete noun meaning "habit." The similarity both in meaning and pronunciation to touchy might lead you to conclude that tetchy is related to that word, but there is no conclusive evidence to suggest such a connection. The adjectives teched and tetched, meaning "mentally unbalanced," are variations of touched, and are probably also unrelated to tetchy.
Examples of tetchy in a Sentence
Adjective
a morose and tetchy resident of a nursing home
Recent Examples on the Web
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 20 May 2026
Edgily eager to shoot their scenes and get a move on with their acting lives, the increasingly tetchy trio are stuck in virtual drydock as all actual moviemaking has drained away.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 10 Mar. 2026
On the eve of the spring classics, the atmosphere is tetchy.
—Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2026
Smart, capable and quick-witted, Toha’s current joy comes from her relationship with Nelly (Khadija Ahmed), the spoiled granddaughter of her employer (Hanan Youssef), a tetchy, elderly diabetic.
—Alissa Simon, Variety, 25 Feb. 2026
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Adjective
In the first week of testimony, Musk took the stand and couldn’t help but get tetchy.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 20 May 2026
Edgily eager to shoot their scenes and get a move on with their acting lives, the increasingly tetchy trio are stuck in virtual drydock as all actual moviemaking has drained away.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 10 Mar. 2026
On the eve of the spring classics, the atmosphere is tetchy.
—Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2026
Smart, capable and quick-witted, Toha’s current joy comes from her relationship with Nelly (Khadija Ahmed), the spoiled granddaughter of her employer (Hanan Youssef), a tetchy, elderly diabetic.
—Alissa Simon, Variety, 25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tetchy
Cite this Entry
“Tetchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tetchy. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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