trigger-happy

[ trig-er-hap-ee ]

adjective

, Informal.

1. ready to fire a gun at the least provocation, regardless of the situation or probable consequences:

   a trigger-happy hunter.

2. heedless and foolhardy in matters of great importance and recklessly advocating action that can result in war:

   Some called him a trigger-happy candidate.

3. eager to point out the mistakes or shortcomings of others; aggressively or wantonly critical:

   He's a trigger-happy editor with a nervous blue pencil.

trigger-happy

adjective

1. tending to resort to the use of firearms or violence irresponsibly
2. tending to act rashly or without due consideration

Word History and Origins

Origin of trigger-happy¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Idioms and Phrases

Inclined to act violently at the slightest provocation, as in They feared that the President was trigger happy and would send in troops at the drop of a hat . This expression alludes to being too eager to fire a gun. [c. 1940]

Example Sentences

“I saw my boy brought into this world and, horribly, I saw him taken out of this world by a trigger-happy cop,” Ramirez’s mother, Renee Villalobos, said in the same statement.

From Los Angeles Times

Together, they travel a lawless America plagued by criminals, fanatics, killer mutants and trigger-happy survivors.

From New York Times

Few owners are trigger-happy in the first two months and by April and May it's usually too late.

From BBC

Faced with the tightest job market in decades, many have become less trigger-happy with layoffs, even in the face of a cooling economy.

From Reuters

He remained steadfastly Freddy, the opposite of the cynical, traumatized, volatile, trigger-happy TV cop show stereotype.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• antagonistic
• bellicose
• belligerent
• cantankerous
• contentious
• energetic