ticklish

adj

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

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.”

   “Opening round three, Enderby moved the ticklish issue of whether to advise the Hong Kong government of the intelligence regarding Ko.”