1
as in sensitive
easily offended
he's ticklish about his looks, so it's wisest to avoid the subject altogether
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in difficult
requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling
trying to tell him that his zipper is down without embarrassing him will be a ticklish task
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ticklish
From celebrities to brands and many other users across the platform, folks chimed in to share their despair with Hollywood’s most ticklish friend.
—
Ryan Fish, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
In practice, the last of these—which sounds tame, and which refers to the number of people who will be affected by the act—is probably the most morally ticklish, as any secondhand smoker can confirm.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023
This is a ticklish subject, to be sure.
—Arthur C. Brooks, The Atlantic, 6 Oct. 2022
What keeps Sandy from jumping turns out to be one of Row’s cleverest, most ticklish plot devices.
—John Domini, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for ticklish
Ryan Fish, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
In practice, the last of these—which sounds tame, and which refers to the number of people who will be affected by the act—is probably the most morally ticklish, as any secondhand smoker can confirm.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023
This is a ticklish subject, to be sure.
—Arthur C. Brooks, The Atlantic, 6 Oct. 2022
What keeps Sandy from jumping turns out to be one of Row’s cleverest, most ticklish plot devices.
—John Domini, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for ticklish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ticklish
Adjective
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In Cisco’s 2025 Data Privacy Benchmark, 64% of global respondents worry about inadvertently exposing sensitive information through AI tools, even as nearly half admit to feeding personal data into them.—
Boris Dzhingarov,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
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And new privacy legislation in Senate Bill 1295 requires collectors of sensitive data to notify consumers if their personal data is being used to train large language models.—
Angela Eichhorst,
Hartford Courant,
15 July 2025
Adjective
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Ullmann is the daughter of the late Swedish director Ingmar Bergman and the Norwegian actor Liv Ullmann, and specifics of her childhood are not difficult to locate.—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
The Atlantic,
15 July 2025
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In a region where resources can be difficult to access and censorship persists, the initiative provided more than support.—
Essie Assibu,
Variety,
15 July 2025
Adjective
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The sound is good enough to get your groove on, while battery life of up to 10 hours per charge makes up for their touchy controls and relative lack of fancy extras.—
Simon Hill,
Wired News,
12 July 2025
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As the moon and Chiron clash, addressing a touchy relationship issue provides healing.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
3 July 2025
Adjective
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The tougher policy changes are adding to the minors’ trauma, advocates say.—
Nicol León,
AZCentral.com,
22 July 2025
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Stellantis' loss, versus a 5.6 billion euro net profit a year earlier, underscores the tough challenges for new CEO Antonio Filosa, who was appointed in May after a disastrous performance in the company's crucial U.S. market in 2024 forced the ouster of former boss Carlos Tavares.—
Giulio Piovaccari,
Freep.com,
21 July 2025
Adjective
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Despite its self-destructive proclivities, the irritable giant has managed to make, and keep, a friend.—
Robin George Andrews,
New York Times,
22 July 2025
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Determined to make a clean SPF, Brown says a chemical formula was out of the question (chemical sunscreens are often thought to be unsafe for the coral reef and irritable to sensitive skin types).—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
9 July 2025
Adjective
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Britain has since struck a trade deal with the U.S., however, becoming the first country to do so as tetchy trade talks continue for other trading partners, including the European Union which is still waiting to sign a trade agreement with Washington.—
Jenni Reid,Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
11 July 2025
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Her new novel, Spent, tells the story of one Alison Bechdel, a tetchy lesbian cartoonist running a pygmy-goat sanctuary in Vermont who is trying to write a memoir about the corrupting influence of money.—
Andrea Long Chu,
Vulture,
16 June 2025
Adjective
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The situation is even more complicated if short skirts are part of the equation.—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
21 July 2025
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The distinction between a studio apartment and a one-bedroom apartment is quite simple, but understanding why the former can be a better option than the latter is slightly more complicated.—
Rachel Davies,
Architectural Digest,
21 July 2025
Adjective
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True resource guarding is a serious issue that often involves strong warning signals from the dog—and can be problematic if left unaddressed.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 July 2025
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These are problematic, to say the least, as an exploit of the same could lead to the possibility of arbitrary code execution within the browser.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ticklish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ticklish. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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