as in emotional
showing feeling freely
she is too touchy-feely and he is too stiff-upper-lip for their relationship to ever work out
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Recent Examples of touchy-feely
Alonso wasn’t a touchy-feely boss.
—
Phil Hay, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Nearly a year after the duo went viral for their hilariously meme-able finger-holding moment, the Eternal Sunshine artist is addressing the fact that the costars have a very touchy-feely friendship.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Nov. 2025
In the clip, the pair appear very touchy-feely, with Nader touching Mortensen's chest multiple times throughout the video, and Mortensen playfully touching her hand and arm.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 13 Nov. 2025
Excuse the cynicism, but this is the sort of combination of touchy-feely button-pushing and self-conscious peculiarity that’s meant to seem significant and profound that will bring out your inner rom-com Grinch.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2025
Looser, more touchy-feely styles include gentle parenting and freestyle parenting.
—wendy Wisner, Parents, 19 Aug. 2025
The image of her cutting a snake in half with her shovel doesn’t conjure up a touchy-feely woman.
—Marc Berman
august 15, Literary Hub, 15 Aug. 2025
By contrast, Drebin Jr. is more like a clumsy, aging Saint Bernard: a big, shambling man who wears a dour frown but can turn touchy-feely when the talk turns to romance, owls, or turkey dinners.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 8 Aug. 2025
Despite that seemingly blasé way the pair first met, the documentary is willing to get a bit more touchy-feely than Lewis herself, making a sterling argument that the duo were really just two pieces of one entity.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 17 July 2025
Phil Hay, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Nearly a year after the duo went viral for their hilariously meme-able finger-holding moment, the Eternal Sunshine artist is addressing the fact that the costars have a very touchy-feely friendship.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Nov. 2025
In the clip, the pair appear very touchy-feely, with Nader touching Mortensen's chest multiple times throughout the video, and Mortensen playfully touching her hand and arm.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 13 Nov. 2025
Excuse the cynicism, but this is the sort of combination of touchy-feely button-pushing and self-conscious peculiarity that’s meant to seem significant and profound that will bring out your inner rom-com Grinch.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2025
Looser, more touchy-feely styles include gentle parenting and freestyle parenting.
—wendy Wisner, Parents, 19 Aug. 2025
The image of her cutting a snake in half with her shovel doesn’t conjure up a touchy-feely woman.
—Marc Berman
august 15, Literary Hub, 15 Aug. 2025
By contrast, Drebin Jr. is more like a clumsy, aging Saint Bernard: a big, shambling man who wears a dour frown but can turn touchy-feely when the talk turns to romance, owls, or turkey dinners.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 8 Aug. 2025
Despite that seemingly blasé way the pair first met, the documentary is willing to get a bit more touchy-feely than Lewis herself, making a sterling argument that the duo were really just two pieces of one entity.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 17 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touchy-feely
Adjective
-
Testimony is also likely to include emotional stories from those who were in the school that day.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Romero does not have the tactical or emotional discipline required to be an effective captain.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Their relationship, at least the one that comes through their extensive correspondence in the files released by the Justice Department, was chatty and catty, at times warm and affectionate, at other moments transactional.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
10 Feb. 2026
-
In 2022 the most excellent Michael Dirda, on the occasion—sigh—of Book World’s all-too-short rebirth, wrote an affectionate and informative inside history of the supplement.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Touchy-feely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touchy-feely. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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