touchy
/ˈtʌtʃi/ (bre, ipa) · [tˈʌtʃi] /ˈtʌtʃi/ (ame, ipa) · [tˈʌtʃi] /ˈtə-chē How to pronounce touchy (audio)/ (ame, mw)
touchy — 形容詞
- touchypositive
- touchiercomparative
- touchiestsuperlative
1. Someone who is touchy gets hurt or annoyed by small remarks, jokes, or criticism
容易介意
一點批評玩笑就會不高興
Someone who is touchy gets hurt or annoyed by small remarks, jokes, or criticism and reacts more sharply than most people would.
Benjamin gets touchy when anyone jokes about his height at family dinners.
Benjamin 在家庭聚餐時，只要有人拿他的身高開玩笑就很容易介意。
get touchy when + clause naming the trigger
Diya sounded touchy after the coach questioned her effort in practice.
教練質疑 Diya 練習時的投入程度後，她聽起來像是被冒犯了。
sound touchy after criticism
Even a gentle joke about money makes Mathieu touchy.
就連拿錢開個小玩笑，也會讓 Mathieu 很容易介意。
The customer grew touchy as staff checked his bag again.
店員又檢查一次包包時，那位顧客立刻顯得很不高興。
Ava became touchy when her brother called her paintings childish.
哥哥說 Ava 的畫很幼稚時，她一下子就不高興了。
- sensitive
broader and less sharp; it can be negative or positive
- thin-skinned
informal and more critical; suggests even mild comments hurt
- irritable
focuses more on bad temper than on feeling insulted
- easygoing
not easily upset by remarks or small problems
- thick-skinned
informal; not easily hurt by criticism
文法句型
be touchy about + noun
get/become touchy when + clause
用法筆記
Often used with 'about' to name the sore point: someone can be touchy about money, age, or criticism. It is more informal and usually sharper in tone than 'sensitive'.
常見錯誤
2. A touchy subject or situation can quickly cause embarrassment, anger, or argumen
敏感的
容易惹爭議或尷尬，要小心處理
A touchy subject or situation can quickly cause embarrassment, anger, or argument, so it needs tact and careful handling.
The divorce is a touchy subject, so Folake changed the topic.
離婚是個敏感的話題，所以 Folake 馬上換了話題。
a touchy subject
Asking about age can be touchy at a first meeting.
第一次見面就問年紀，可能會是個很敏感的問題。
be touchy when the question may offend someone
Ryo knew pay was a touchy issue after the failed merger.
併購失敗後，Ryo 知道薪資已成了敏感議題。
The budget discussion is touchy because several jobs may disappear.
因為好幾個職位可能會消失，預算討論現在很敏感。
Housing policy remains touchy in the coastal town after last year's flood.
去年的水災之後，這座海邊城鎮對住宅政策一直很敏感。
- delicate
slightly less informal; stresses the need for tact
- sensitive
more neutral and common in formal writing
- controversial
stronger; suggests open disagreement rather than personal discomfort
- safe
unlikely to upset or embarrass anyone
- straightforward
easy to discuss without special tact
文法句型
a touchy subject/topic/issue
be touchy to discuss
用法筆記
Usually appears with nouns such as 'subject', 'topic', 'issue', or 'matter'. It often describes something socially delicate rather than technically difficult.