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as in combustible
capable of catching or being set on fire the experiment involves the use of some touchy chemicals, so caution is required

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of touchy Few things in life are touchier or more prone to argument than the topic of favorite sports movies. Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2025 The bank’s executive team, led by Dominic Ng as chief executive officer, is well aware of the touchy state of U.S.-China relations. John Dorfman, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025 Sun Sentinel Asking Eric: My son begged us not to bring up our grievance to his touchy in-laws His wife’s parents make all the holiday plans, and we’re never invited. South Florida Sun Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, 9 June 2025 Marco Silva Goal celebrations have been a slightly touchy subject for Marco Silva. Nick Miller, New York Times, 11 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for touchy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touchy
Adjective
  • The thundering crackles and sharp bangs of pyrotechnics can not only frighten dogs but also cause discomfort to their sensitive ears.
    Logan Holland, People.com, 4 July 2025
  • This usually involves receiving a fake text, email or even a phone call designed to trick you into clicking a malicious link or sharing sensitive information.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2025
Adjective
  • James is playing the final year of his contract at $52.6 million, which is a very difficult number for teams to pay.
    Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 July 2025
  • Our models and expertise can sniff out the broad parameters, but the precise location and timing of moisture plumes, training (quasi-stationary rain cells), and forcing mechanism can be difficult.
    Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 5 July 2025
Adjective
  • Joaquin and Pedro together are surprisingly like a combustible, great pair.
    Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 27 June 2025
  • Shroff agreed the Israel debate is politically combustible but said Mamdani's framing has still resonated with many younger voters.
    Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 June 2025
Adjective
  • Determined to make a clean SPF, Brown says a chemical formula was out of the question (chemical sunscreens are often thought to be unsafe for the coral reef and irritable to sensitive skin types).
    Kiana Murden, Vogue, 9 July 2025
  • In my own experience, poor sleep has frequently been the reason behind feeling tired and irritable.
    Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, CNN Money, 8 July 2025
Adjective
  • But after rookie third baseman Ronny Mauricio made an exceptionally tough double play to end a two-on, one-out threat in the bottom of the eighth, there was no way the Mets were losing.
    Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 9 July 2025
  • With one out, however, Ohtani was thrown at the plate trying to score from third on Pages’ chopper up the line — making an aggressive, but proper, read in a game in which the Dodgers had long before conceded that runs would be tough to come by.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2025
Adjective
  • In the span of three weeks, in prime time and on the big screen, Americans witnessed two vivid interpretations of the horrors of nuclear war: one explosive and terrifying, the other corrosive and elegiac.
    Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 10 July 2025
  • That three-month period was pivotal in the explosion of The Beatles and the images, organized by the National Portrait Gallery in London, give viewers a chance to experience the band's explosive rise to fame through McCartney's lens.
    Melonee Hurt, The Tennessean, 10 July 2025
Adjective
  • Her new novel, Spent, tells the story of one Alison Bechdel, a tetchy lesbian cartoonist running a pygmy-goat sanctuary in Vermont who is trying to write a memoir about the corrupting influence of money.
    Andrea Long Chu, Vulture, 16 June 2025
  • One is her ex, the struggling, somewhat tetchy actor/caterer John, played by Chris Evans.
    Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2025
Adjective
  • Fuels in the area remained extremely dry and highly flammable.
    Arlyssa D. Becenti, AZCentral.com, 5 July 2025
  • Keep vehicles off dry grass Properly discard cigarettes or anything flammable (think ashtrays or a nonflammable container, not the ground, and fully snuffed out) The air quality, however, is not dangerous, according to AirNow, which reports the official U.S. air quality.
    Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Touchy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touchy. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.

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