apt to take offense on slight provocation; irritable

He is very touchy when he's sick.

requiring caution, tactfulness, or expert handling; precarious; risky

a touchy subject; a touchy situation.

sensitive to touch.

easily ignited, as tinder.

adjective

calm , easygoing , laid-back , unflappable

adjective

bad-tempered , bundle of nerves , cantankerous , captious , choleric , crabbed , cranky , cross , delicate , dicey * , grouchy , grumpy , hazardous , hypersensitive , irascible , irritable , jumpy * , mean , ornery * , oversensitive , peevish , perturbable , pettish , petulant , precarious , querulous , quick-tempered , risky , sensitive , splenetic , surly , temperamental , testy , thin-skinned * , ticklish * , tricky , unpredictable , unsafe , uptight * , volatile , wired up , wound up , peppery , tetchy , ticklish , touch-and-go , crabby , fragile , huffy , snappish , sore , thin-skinned , umbrageous , uptight