as in irritability
readiness to show annoyance or impatience
attributed his unusual testiness this morning to being hungry
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Recent Examples of testiness
The Warriors trailed by 11 points after a first quarter notable mostly for some late Golden State testiness.
—
Ron Kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Jan. 2026
Corbett said the testiness started in Florida and returned with the team to Charlotte.
—Joseph Person, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Ron Kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Jan. 2026
Corbett said the testiness started in Florida and returned with the team to Charlotte.
—Joseph Person, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for testiness
Noun
-
Trigger-point injections reverse the hyper-irritability of nerves by inhibiting the influx of neurochemicals and re-regulating the function of various nerves.—
Dr. Patricia Richard,
Hartford Courant,
14 Apr. 2026
-
My irritability is definitely not in check.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Another day, as Mom loads the children into the car, Jeremy tosses a basketball against the house, again and again, his passive aggression registering through the ball’s unyielding thuds and his own frozen gaze.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
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Sources have told The Star that KU’s coaching staff believed in his potential but wanted to see more physicality and aggression from him.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Testiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/testiness. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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