tetchy
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tetch·y
also tech·y (tĕch′ē)adj. tetch·i·er, tetch·i·est also tech·i·er or tech·i·est
Peevish; testy: "As a critic gets older, he or she usually grows more tetchy and limited in responses" (James Wolcott).
[Probably from Middle English tache, teche, blemish (influenced by touchy), from Old French tache, teche, from Vulgar Latin *tacca, from Gothic taikns, sign; see deik- in Indo-European roots.]
tetch′i·ly adv.
tetch′i·ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
tetchy
(ˈtɛtʃɪ)adj, tetchier or tetchiest
being or inclined to be cross, irritable, or touchy
[C16: probably from obsolete tetch defect, from Old French tache spot, of Germanic origin]
ˈtetchily adv
ˈtetchiness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
tetch•y
(ˈtɛtʃ i)adj. tetch•i•er, tetch•i•est.
irritable; touchy.
[1585–95; perhaps b. touchy and dial. tetch mark, spot < Middle French]
tetch′i•ly, adv.
tetch′i•ness, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Adj. | 1. | tetchy - easily irritated or annoyed; "an incorrigibly fractious young man"; "not the least nettlesome of his countrymen" irritable, peevish, pettish, petulant, techy, testy, scratchy, nettlesome, peckish, cranky, fractious ill-natured - having an irritable and unpleasant disposition |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
tetchy
adjective irritable, cross, grumpy, crabbed, impatient, snappy, sullen, touchy, bad-tempered, petulant, irascible, cantankerous, peppery, ratty (Brit. & N.Z. informal), testy, quarrelsome, chippy (informal), fretful, short-tempered, waspish, peevish, quick-tempered, splenetic, snappish, liverish, captious You always get tetchy when you're hungry.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
tetchy
also techyadjective
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
tetchy
[ˈtetʃɪ] ADJ (tetchier (compar) (tetchiest (superl))) [person] → irritable, picajoso; [mood] → irritableCollins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
tetchy
, techyCollins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995