Definition of "touchy-feely" [touchy-feely]

• Informal Marked by or emphasizing physical closeness and emotional openness: became uncomfortable when the group therapy session got too touchy-feely. (adjective)
• Informal Based on sentiment or intuition, especially to the exclusion of critical judgment: "a book that proves the existence of the Almighty ... without recourse to spiritual mumbo jumbo or any of that touchy-feely faith stuff” ( Adam Begley). (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.

• "David Cameron's early burst of touchy-feely decontamination distracted us from Conservative Europhobia; the likes of Ken Clarke and Michael Heseltine remind us that once it didn't have nearly as much purchase on the Tory soul, and it was Labour's ranks that feared the clutches of Brussels."
• "Already, we Labour members are being subject to a "touchy-feely" policy questionnaire about re-engagement, realignment and forging contracts with communities."
• "Yea; if you can do touchy-feely smoke and mirrors to mask the actual CONTENT of the proposed bills, maybe they can sneak this healthcare nightmare through."