Standard Lemma guide

testy

adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈtɛsti/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛsti
  • CMU ARPABET: T EH1 S T IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Easily annoyed, irritable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Marked by impatience or ill humor.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • He made testy remarks.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

easily irritated or annoyed

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an incorrigibly fractious young man
  • not the least nettlesome of his countrymen

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cranky, fractious, irritable, nettlesome, peevish, peckish, pettish, petulant, scratchy, tetchy, techy

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Middle English testif (“headstrong”), from Old French testu, from teste (“head”) + -u. Compare modern French tête (“head”), têtu (“stubborn”).

Across languages

Translations

12 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: сприхав (sprihav) — irritable
  • Bulgarian: раздразнителен (razdraznitelen) — irritable
  • Czech: nedůtklivý — irritable
  • Czech: popudlivý — irritable
  • German: reizbar — irritable
  • Māori: whanewhane — irritable
  • Māori: kiriweti — irritable
  • Portuguese: irascível — irritable
  • Portuguese: irritadiço — irritable
  • Russian: раздражи́тельный (razdražítelʹnyj) — irritable
  • Russian: вспыльчивый (vspylʹčivyj) — irritable
  • Swedish: retlig — irritable