Definition of "tetchy" [tetch•y]

• Peevish; testy: "As a critic gets older, he or she usually grows more tetchy and limited in responses” ( James Wolcott). (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The narrative now is that he is getting "tetchy" about the stupid questions the media keep asking."
• "I just have to hope that this kind of tetchy judicial questioning is the way they push the lawyers to make their best case."
• "I guess "tetchy" came in when they completely revised it."