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Touchiness: meaning, definitions and examples

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touchiness

 

[ ˈtʌʧɪnəs ]

Noun
Context #1 | Noun

emotional sensitivity

Touchiness refers to the tendency to be easily offended or upset by the remarks or actions of others. It can manifest as a heightened emotional sensitivity or a quickness to take offense.

Synonyms

defensiveness, irritability, sensitivity

Examples of usage

  • He exhibited touchiness when his work was criticized.
  • Her touchiness made it difficult to have open conversations with her.
  • The touchiness of the situation required careful handling.
Context #2 | Noun

sensitivity to physical touch

Touchiness can also refer to a heightened sensitivity to physical touch, where even light pressure or contact can cause discomfort or pain.

Synonyms

hypersensitivity, tenderness

Examples of usage

  • His touchiness made it challenging to give him a massage.
  • The cat's touchiness meant that it didn't like to be petted for too long.

Translations

Translations of the word "touchiness" in other languages:

🇵🇹 sensibilidade

🇮🇳 संवेदनशीलता

🇩🇪 Empfindlichkeit

🇮🇩 kepekaan

🇺🇦 чутливість

🇵🇱 wrażliwość

🇯🇵 敏感さ (びんかんさ)

🇫🇷 sensibilité

🇪🇸 sensibilidad

🇹🇷 hassaslık

🇰🇷 민감성

🇸🇦 حساسية

🇨🇿 citlivost

🇸🇰 citlivosť

🇨🇳 敏感

🇸🇮 občutljivost

🇮🇸 viðkvæmni

🇰🇿 сезімталдық

🇬🇪 მგრძნობელობა

🇦🇿 həssaslıq

🇲🇽 sensibilidad

Etymology

The word 'touchiness' originated from the Middle English word 'tuchynge', which means 'the state of being touched or affected emotionally'. Over time, it evolved to encompass both emotional sensitivity and physical sensitivity to touch.

See also: touch, touchable, touchably, touched, touching, touchingly, touchy, untouchability, untouchable, untouched.

Word Frequency Rank

Ranking #39,389, this word is encountered relatively rarely in everyday English. It might appear in literary works or specialized texts but isn't essential for general communication.