ticklish

adjective

tick·​lish ˈti-k(ə-)lish How to pronounce ticklish (audio)
1
: sensitive to tickling
2
: requiring delicate handling
a ticklish subject
3
a
: touchy, oversensitive
ticklish about his baldness
b
: easily overturned
a canoe is a ticklish craft
ticklishly adverb
ticklishness noun

Examples of ticklish in a Sentence

My feet are very ticklish. he's ticklish about his looks, so it's wisest to avoid the subject altogether
Recent Examples on the Web While plenty of jokers and pranksters offered responses, most users responded by unexpectedly trauma-dumping on the ticklish Muppet. David Matthews, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2024 For the time being, then, a free-world strategy can’t liberate the United States from ongoing engagement, and perhaps ticklish compromises, with key autocracies that have a foot in both camps. Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 24 May 2022 From celebrities to brands and many other users across the platform, folks chimed in to share their despair with Hollywood’s most ticklish friend. Ryan Fish, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019 In practice, the last of these—which sounds tame, and which refers to the number of people who will be affected by the act—is probably the most morally ticklish, as any secondhand smoker can confirm. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023 See all Example Sentences for ticklish 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ticklish.' 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

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Time Traveler
The first known use of ticklish was in 1581

Dictionary Entries Near ticklish

Cite this Entry

“Ticklish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ticklish. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

ticklish

adjective
tick·​lish ˈtik-(ə-)lish How to pronounce ticklish (audio)
1
: sensitive to tickling
2
: touchy sense 1
ticklish about his baldness
3
: requiring delicate handling
a ticklish subject
ticklishly adverb
ticklishness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on ticklish

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