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
While plenty of jokers and pranksters offered responses, most users responded by unexpectedly trauma-dumping on the ticklish Muppet.
—
David Matthews, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2024
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
David Matthews, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2024
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
-
Thus, the article stressed that the Chinese navy must urgently address these risks, offering an unusually detailed proposal for a systematic crash-response plan, drawing lessons from US Navy salvage practices to improve readiness and protect sensitive technology.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Feb. 2026
-
The Skechers Aero Razor harnesses the explosive benefits of superfoam while maintaining a sensitive, stable ride.—
Cory Smith,
Outside,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The voracious reader said that the best books, those that brought him happiness, were not the ones that ease our way in this strange and difficult world.—
Noah Goldberg,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Local farmers work long hours, often under difficult conditions, to ensure our food supply remains steady.—
Joe Dymek,
Baltimore Sun,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But with stocks trading near record highs, markets are a little touchy.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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If someone does bring up the Bears, be considerate and change the subject to something less touchy, like immigration or Jeff Bezos.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Takaichi has proposed tougher policies on immigration and foreigners, something that resonates with a growing frustration in Japan.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Bryant was tough to stop and scored nine of her 23 points in the first quarter.—
Justin Vigil Zuniga,
Daily News,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Lack of sleep can lead to a range of problems, including feeling more irritable.—
Michelle Mastro,
The Spruce,
7 Feb. 2026
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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
Adjective
-
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Mladenov, a Bulgarian diplomat, as the director-general of the board meant to oversee the implementation of the second and far more complicated phase of the ceasefire.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
-
If simple, prefabricated asymmetric carbon fibers can act as tiny actuators, engineers may not need complicated coatings or redesigns to build micro-scale devices.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
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
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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
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The actress recently opened up about some of the problematic advice she's received over the years, as well as the shocking suggestion that led her to fire an agent, during a conversation with Eddie Muller at the TCM Classic Film Festival New York Pop-Up.—
Sharareh Drury,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Feb. 2026
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Inzunza said the lack of clear policies is problematic.—
Walker Armstrong,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ticklish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ticklish. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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