Synonyms of ticklish

ticklish

adjective

ˈti-k(ə-)lish 

1

as in sensitive

easily offended

he's ticklish about his looks, so it's wisest to avoid the subject altogether

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sensitive
• touchy
• irritable
• tetchy
• huffy
• thin-skinned
• supersensitive
• hypersensitive
• oversensitive
• testy
• tender
• peevish
• snappish
• petulant
• disagreeable
• pettish
• irascible
• waspish
• grouchy
• crotchety
• choleric
• grumpy
• crabby
• prickly
• cross
• querulous
• ornery
• raspy
• cantankerous
• stuffy
• bilious
• snarky
• dyspeptic
• cranky
• stroppy
• perverse
• snippy
• curmudgeonly
• surly
• cross-grained
• bearish
• snippety
• short-tempered
• ill-natured
• ratty
• quick-tempered
• ill-humored
• snappy
• ill-tempered

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• agreeable
• amiable
• good-natured
• thick-skinned
• unconcerned
• easygoing
• carefree
• relaxed
• well-disposed
• good-tempered
• forbearing
• understanding
• obliging
• long-suffering
• happy-go-lucky

2

as in difficult

requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling

trying to tell him that his zipper is down without embarrassing him will be a ticklish task

Synonyms & Similar Words

• difficult
• sensitive
• tough
• complicated
• problematic
• sticky
• touchy
• delicate
• hairy
• knotty
• tricky
• thorny
• serious
• prickly
• hard
• problem
• spiny
• painful
• nasty
• complex
• catchy
• tricksy
• dodgy
• intricate
• recondite
• troublesome
• abstruse
• vexing
• involved
• stubborn
• abstract
• vexatious
• worrisome
• troublous
• stressful
• scabrous
• burdensome
• importunate
• exhausting
• onerous
• inconvenient
• demanding
• oppressive
• exacting
• discommoding

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• easy
• manageable
• painless
• simple
• uncomplicated
• straightforward
• effortless
• unproblematic
• undemanding

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ticklish

There’s a ticklish elusiveness to the portraits of Blume’s husbands in the book, and to those of her kids, Randy and Larry, as well. — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2026

Transporting the patient 12 miles to Hartford Hospital would be ticklish. — Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 1 Mar. 2026

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

Rubbing underarm is selected as a target motion of robot because previous research suggests that this is the best way for making humans feel ticklish. — Erico Guizzo, IEEE Spectrum, 14 Oct. 2016