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Glite Dictionary
to feel twitchy

to feel twitchy

7.9
To be nervous and unable to sit still because of worry or excitement
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : sentirse nervioso
  • As he waited for the interview to begin, he felt twitchy and kept tapping his feet nervously.

Examples

  • After drinking too much coffee, she felt twitchy and couldn't sit still at her desk.

  • Feeling twitchy, Lou?

    The Killer Inside Me (2010)

  • The child felt twitchy before going on stage, excited but anxious about his performance.

Synonyms

to tremble
vsto feel twitchy
164 2.5

To shake slightly without control because of fear, cold, or worry

is more a nervous restlessness and desire to move rather than slight shaking
to jitter
vsto feel twitchy
2 4.6

To shake or move quickly because you are nervous

is a restless anxious feeling of needing to move rather than jerky motion

Antonyms

calm
735 1.0

Not showing strong feelings and being very still

relaxed
241 1.0

Calm and not worried

Surface Forms

feel twitchy infinitive
feeling twitchy present participle
feels twitchy third person singular
felt twitchy past
felt twitchy past participle

Morphology

feel + twitchy

The phrase is a straightforward verb + adjective combination: if a learner knows 'feel' (to experience) and 'twitchy' (anxious, restless), the meaning 'to feel anxious or unable to stay still' follows directly. This compositional pattern (feel + adjective/state) is common in English and across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words should understand it.

Etymology

Feel twitchy comes from the tiny, quick movements called twitches. When someone is nervous or has too much coffee their hands or legs may make these little jumps, so they 'feel twitchy', meaning 'anxious' or 'unable to stay still'.