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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of touchy-feely
Citadel is proud not to have a touchy-feely atmosphere.
—
Gary Sernovitz,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
But these touchy-feely white parents were doing something right, because their kids — my classmates — had poise.
—
Jane Park,
PEOPLE,
9 May 2026
If that strikes you as twee or downright silly, Olivia Newman‘s touchy-feely weepie is not on your wavelength.
—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
7 May 2026
That’s in contrast with Andrew’s lexicon of touchy-feely claptrap, all seemingly declarations of support and empathy but, ultimately, hollow.
—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Alonso wasn’t a touchy-feely boss.
—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
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
Gary Sernovitz,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
But these touchy-feely white parents were doing something right, because their kids — my classmates — had poise.
—
Jane Park,
PEOPLE,
9 May 2026
If that strikes you as twee or downright silly, Olivia Newman‘s touchy-feely weepie is not on your wavelength.
—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
7 May 2026
That’s in contrast with Andrew’s lexicon of touchy-feely claptrap, all seemingly declarations of support and empathy but, ultimately, hollow.
—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Alonso wasn’t a touchy-feely boss.
—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touchy-feely
Adjective
-
What emotional content lies just below the surface?
-
Fun dads often skip the emotional pregame.
Adjective
-
The couple were affectionate while walking the red carpet together as well as while inside the venue.
-
Along the way, the animal attracts plenty of delighted squeals, affectionate greetings and eager requests from passersby for a photo together.
Cite this Entry
“Touchy-feely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touchy-feely. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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