ticklish
adjective
tick·lish
ˈti-k(ə-)lish 
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
However, Apollo economist Torsten Slok said policymakers are in a ticklish spot now with inflation still above target and the soft jobs picture, putting the central bank’s dual goals of stable prices and full employment in conflict.
—
Jeff Cox, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2025
It’s certainly made for these (end) times: a lushly surreal, cynically ticklish goof on the ineffectiveness of political summits as apocalyptic dread mounts.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2024
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
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
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Jeff Cox, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2025
It’s certainly made for these (end) times: a lushly surreal, cynically ticklish goof on the ineffectiveness of political summits as apocalyptic dread mounts.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2024
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
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
Cite this Entry
“Ticklish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ticklish. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ticklish
adjective
tick·lish
ˈtik-(ə-)lish
1
: sensitive to tickling
2
: touchy sense 1
ticklish about his baldness
3
: requiring delicate handling
a ticklish subject
ticklishly
adverb
ticklishness
noun
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