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Glite Dictionary
to feel itchy

to feel itchy

2 1.5
To have an uncomfortable feeling on the skin that makes you want to scratch
  • phrasal verb
  • /fiːl ˈɪtʃi/
translation icon : sentir picazón
  • I feel itchy all the time, don't know if it's all in my head because I know we have this problem or if I actually have bugs on me.

Examples

  • When the pollen count is high, my skin can feel itchy from allergies.

  • She felt itchy, as if bugs or ants were on her.

    Academic text (1997)

  • It made him feel itchy and explosive, feeling how much he had to vent.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • After sitting in the grass for too long, I started to feel itchy all over.

  • Whenever I wear wool, my arms tend to feel itchy and uncomfortable.

Synonyms

to feel uncomfortable
vsto feel itchy
73 1.9

To be physically or emotionally uneasy

is a specific skin sensation that makes one want to scratch

Antonyms

comfortable
494 1.0

Not feeling pain or physical discomfort

How Itchy

to prickle
4 4.0
to feel itchy
2 1.5
tingly
19 3.7

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

feel + itchy

The meaning is directly compositional: 'feel' = experience and 'itchy' = having an urge to scratch, so a learner who knows both words can infer 'to experience an uncomfortable skin sensation'. This is a literal, common adjective-complement construction found across languages, making it immediately understandable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Feel itchy comes from a simple image: your skin has a small tickle or sting that makes you want to scratch. So when you say you feel itchy, you mean you 'want to scratch' because of an uncomfortable skin feeling.