1
as in sensitive
easily offended
he's ticklish about his looks, so it's wisest to avoid the subject altogether
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ticklish
This is a ticklish subject, to be sure.
—
Arthur C. Brooks, The Atlantic, 6 Oct. 2022
For the time being, then, a free-world strategy can’t liberate the United States from ongoing engagement, and perhaps ticklish compromises, with key autocracies that have a foot in both camps.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 24 May 2022
From celebrities to brands and many other users across the platform, folks chimed in to share their despair with Hollywood’s most ticklish friend.
—Ryan Fish, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
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
See All Example Sentences for ticklish
Arthur C. Brooks, The Atlantic, 6 Oct. 2022
For the time being, then, a free-world strategy can’t liberate the United States from ongoing engagement, and perhaps ticklish compromises, with key autocracies that have a foot in both camps.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 24 May 2022
From celebrities to brands and many other users across the platform, folks chimed in to share their despair with Hollywood’s most ticklish friend.
—Ryan Fish, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
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
See All Example Sentences for ticklish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ticklish
Adjective
-
This allows users to benefit from AI acceleration without exposing sensitive information.—
Ni Tao,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Teens will need to allow their parents access and provide them with a time-sensitive QR code to complete activation.—
Alex Vance,
Parents,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
One of the world’s most persistent waste problems, plastics are durable and difficult to recycle.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Oct. 2025
-
But grass is difficult to digest for the mammal.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Under this heavy transit, your finances and intimate unions are touchy topics.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
24 Sep. 2025
-
What To Know In recent years, mounting economic pressures have also emerged as yet another touchy topic.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Whether or not Takaichi's administration is as tough on immigration issues as her campaign rhetoric suggests, some observers warn that failing to actively invest in and integrate foreign nationals into society will have lasting harm on Asia’s second-largest economy.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Without a consolidation of that vote in the final stretch, Mamdani appears tough to beat.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Emery was irritable at full time.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Additionally, Owens’ youngest child, Titus, who was just a toddler when his mother died, was confused, irritable and inconsolable in the weeks after her death, Dias shared.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Hallmarks of the best Halloween travel destinations usually entail a moody fall landscape, local legends that involve a tetchy ghost, vampire, or other variety of ominous being, and themed activities like pumpkin patches and cemetery tours.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Reynolds is a tetchy tyrant, who, enabled by his sister, Cyril (Lesley Manville), has embraced a need to have things just so as a means of warding off vulnerability.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Their double life soon gets complicated when a rival boy band harboring a sinister secret begins stealing their fans.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
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In many ways, that has made keeping up with news about King Charles’ illness much more complicated.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
While most ovens heat up fairly quickly, an extra 10 to 15 minutes in this temperature range can be problematic, especially if the food isn't eventually brought to a safe internal temperature before serving.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
22 Oct. 2025
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The second call was equally as problematic.—
Keith Sharon,
Nashville Tennessean,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ticklish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ticklish. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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