Dictionary

ticklish en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈtɪk(ə)lɪʃ/ (UK)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree English tickle Proto-Indo-European *-iskos Proto-Germanic *-iskaz Proto-West Germanic *-isk Old English -isċ Middle English -isch English -ish English ticklish From tickle + -ish.

Meanings

1. Sensitive or susceptible to being tickled.
   • She is ticklish only on her tummy and the bottoms of her feet.
2. Touchy, sensitive, or delicate.
   • That was the funeral oration of one friend and client; and he could not help a certain apprehension lest the good name of another should be sucked down in the eddy of the scandal. It was, at least, a ticklish decision that he had to make; and self-reliant as he was by habit, he began to cherish a longing for advice. 1886, Robert Louis Stevenson, chapter 5, in Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde:
   • Opening round three, Enderby moved the ticklish issue of whether to advise the Hong Kong government of the intelligence regarding Ko. 1977, John Le Carré, The Honourable Schoolboy, Folio Society, published 2010, page 162:
   • The fact that the Yongle emperor was therefore a usurper, regicide and nepoticide (nephew-killer) made compiling the Veritable Record – or official history – of his reign a most dangerous scholarly post. The official given this ticklish task managed to survive several drafts, finally producing one that pleased his master as it omitted the dead nephew's reign altogether. 2014 September 15, Martin Gayford, “There's more to Ming than a vase [print version: 16 August 2014, pp. R6–R7]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Review):

Forms

Deriveds

ticklishly · ticklishness · unticklish

Translations (54)

sh голѝцав (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · nl delicaat (delicate) · bg щекотлив (delicate) · nan-hbl 畏𢸣 (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · ru чувстви́тельный к щеко́тке (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · de heikel (delicate) · sh golìcljiv (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · pl łaskotliwy (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · la tītillōsus (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · cs lechtivý (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · bg деликатен (delicate) · hu kényes (delicate) · nl kietelig (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · cs ožehavý (delicate) · pt cosquento (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · sh škàkljiv (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · ja くすぐったい (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · sv kittlig (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · is viðkvæmur (delicate) · sh шка̀кљив (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · ga cigilteach (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · pt coceguento (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · cmn 怕老婆 (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · ru делика́тный (delicate) · hu csiklandós (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · ru щекотли́вый (delicate) · de brenzlig (delicate) · uk який боїться лоскотки (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · is kitlinn (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · fr chatouilleux (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · fi kutiava (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · cs choulostivý (delicate) · fi herkkä (delicate) · sh golìcav (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · ru боя́щийся щеко́тки (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · nan-hbl 驚𢸣 /惊𢸣 (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · cmn 怕癢 /怕痒 (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · ga cigilteach (delicate) · cs citlivý (delicate) · et kõdikartlik (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · de kitzlig (delicate) · roa-gal chatouillou (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · nn kitlen (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · kix tǖmāngmāng (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · fi kutiaa (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · tl maligawgaw (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · sh голѝцљив (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · fi arkaluontoinen (delicate) · nan-hbl 驚某 /惊某 (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · it solleticoso (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · de kitzelig (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · de kitzlig (sensitive or susceptible to tickling) · nl netelig (delicate) · es cosquilloso (sensitive or susceptible to tickling)