testy

adjective

tes·​ty ˈte-stē 

testier; testiest

1

: easily annoyed : irritable

2

: marked by impatience or ill humor

testy remarks

testily

ˈte-stə-lē 

adverb

testiness

ˈte-stē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• choleric
• crabby
• cranky
• cross
• crotchety
• fiery
• grouchy
• grumpy
• irascible
• irritable
• peevish
• perverse
• pettish
• petulant
• prickly
• quick-tempered
• raspy
• ratty
• short-tempered
• snappish
• snappy
• snarky
• snippety
• snippy
• stuffy
• waspish

Examples of testy in a Sentence

that coworker would be easier to get along with if she weren't so testy all the time

Recent Examples on the Web

With Ted gone, the future of AFC Richmond is in the hands of Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein), who steps up as the new manager and has evolved from a testy former player to a respected coach. —Maddie Garfinkle, Peoplemag, 10 Aug. 2024

The poll of 3,045 Californians was conducted Sept. 25 to Oct. 1, before this week’s testy debate between the Senate candidates in Burbank. —Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024

The grounding comes at a testy time for SpaceX and the FAA — the two have been feuding openly over the pace of launch licensing regulations and a pair of fines the FAA imposed on SpaceX for allegedly violating its Falcon launch licenses in 2023. —Reuters, NBC News, 1 Oct. 2024

Russell’s impulse in every testy situation was to accommodate. —Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 15 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English testif, from Anglo-French, headstrong, from teste head — more at tester entry 2

First Known Use

1523, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

testy

adjective

tes·​ty ˈtes-tē 

testier; testiest

: easily annoyed : irritable

testily

-tə-lē 

adverb

testiness

-tē-nəs 

noun