Definition

Adjective: 1. Easily irritated or annoyed: Describes a person who becomes irritated, impatient, or annoyed with little provocation. It implies a tendency to be short-tempered or touchy. - The long wait in the hot sun made the customers quite techy. - He's been feeling techy all morning because of the lack of sleep.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The manager was in a techy mood after the meeting was canceled.
  • Don't be so techy; it was just a simple mistake.
  • Her techy response suggested she was under a lot of stress.

Advanced Usage

• "to get/become techy": to start becoming irritated or short-tempered.
  • He tends to get techy when he's hungry.
• "in a techy tone/voice": speaking in a manner that shows irritation.
  • "What now?" she asked in a techy voice.

Variants and Related Words

• Tetchy (adjective): This is the more common modern spelling of the word, with the same meaning (easily irritated or annoyed).
  • She's been a bit tetchy since she started her new medication.
• Techiness / Tetchiness (noun): The state or quality of being easily annoyed.
  • His constant techiness was starting to wear on his colleagues.

Synonyms

• Irritable: Having or showing a tendency to be easily annoyed.
• Touchy: Oversensitive and irritable.
• Peevish: Easily irritated, especially by unimportant things.
• Cranky: Ill-tempered, irritable, or cross.
• Fractious: (Typically of a child) irritable and quarrelsome.

Antonyms

• Easygoing: Relaxed and tolerant in attitude or manner.
• Patient: Able to accept or tolerate delays, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious.
• Good-humored: Cheerful and amiable.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "On a short fuse": Having a tendency to become angry very quickly. (This idiom conveys a similar idea to being techy.)
  • Be careful what you say to him; he's on a short fuse today.

Adjective

1. easily irritated or annoyed
   • an incorrigibly fractious young man
   • not the least nettlesome of his countrymen