as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed
that coworker would be easier to get along with if she weren't so testy all the time
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Recent Examples of testy
In the post-game presser on Monday night, quarterback Aaron Rodgers got testy when speaking about Tomlin.
—
Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
And please forgive Cignetti for getting a tad testy.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026
After Jackson had testy courtroom exchanges with the accuser and his parents, the accuser invoked his constitutional right against self-incrimination to stop testifying, which made the case crumble.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 20 Dec. 2025
This game quickly became the second straight testy meeting between the teams after Phoenix escaped with a 99-98 win at home Thursday.
—CBS News, 20 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for testy
Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
And please forgive Cignetti for getting a tad testy.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026
After Jackson had testy courtroom exchanges with the accuser and his parents, the accuser invoked his constitutional right against self-incrimination to stop testifying, which made the case crumble.
—Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 20 Dec. 2025
This game quickly became the second straight testy meeting between the teams after Phoenix escaped with a 99-98 win at home Thursday.
—CBS News, 20 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for testy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for testy
Adjective
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On the contrary, Juventus’ football soothed even the most irritable sections of the crowd.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
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This can include feeling irritable, having a low frustration tolerance, feeling easily overstimulated, and having rapid shifts in emotion.—
Korin Miller,
SELF,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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As one of Cohen's most frequent guests on his late-night talk show Watch What Happens Live, Rapaport has generated some of its most viral and debated moments, like a fiery 2018 spat between the actor and Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kenya Moore.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Jan. 2026
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Nature—and its subtlest micro-shifts—are the main protagonists, from the green humidity of summer, the sound of cicadas ringing thick in the air to the fiery blaze of autumn leaves (courtesy of approximately 3,000 Japanese maple trees) and the fresh cloud-like bursts of springtime sakura.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Testy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/testy. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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