English idiom

touchy-feely

Register · Informal CEFR C1

Post

Figurative meaning

showing emotions or physical affection openly, sometimes in a way that seems excessive

Why this phrase?

The rhyming pair evokes physical touching and openly expressed feeling, often with a mildly dismissive tone.

Example

“The workshop was a bit too touchy-feely for my taste.”

Dictionary details

Tags

emotions

Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.

blow off steam

to release pent-up energy or emotion through some activity

cut loose

to abandon restraint and behave freely or wildly

drive someone up the wall

to make someone feel extremely annoyed or frustrated

get on someone's nerves

to repeatedly irritate or annoy someone

go bananas

to become wildly excited, angry, or otherwise out of control

green with envy

feeling extremely jealous of what another person has

Source methodology

Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.

External links

markdown