testy

adjective

tes·​ty ˈte-stē How to pronounce testy (audio)
testier; testiest
1
: easily annoyed : irritable
2
: marked by impatience or ill humor
testy remarks
testily adverb
testiness noun

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Both of those unions have held their own strikes amid testy contract negotiations in the past few years. Sara Fischer, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024 Alec Baldwin returned to Saturday Night Live as Fox News anchor Bret Baier during the show’s cold open, which spoofed the testy interview with Kamala Harris (Maya Rudolph). Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Oct. 2024 Fox anchor Bret Baier confronted Harris about the Biden administration’s decision to repeal Trump-era border policies, in what amounted to testy exchanges between the two. Alexandra Banner, CNN, 17 Oct. 2024 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 See all Example Sentences for testy 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of testy was in 1523

Dictionary Entries Near testy

Cite this Entry

“Testy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/testy. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

testy

adjective
tes·​ty ˈtes-tē How to pronounce testy (audio)
testier; testiest
: easily annoyed : irritable
testily adverb
testiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on testy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!