touchy ——ADJECTIVE [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
If you say that something is a touchy subject, you mean that it is a subject that needs to be dealt with carefully and in a sensitive way, because it might upset or offend people. 棘手的，敏感的
requiring careful and tactful handling 需要小心和机智地处理
【例子】
...the touchy question of political reform. 敏感的政治改革问题
同义词: delicate, sensitive, tricky, thorny, risky, knotty, sticky[informal], ticklish
delicate ——adjective (DIFFICULT)
a delicate situation, matter, point, etc. ——a situation. matter, etc. that needs to be dealt with carefully in order to avoid trouble or offence 微妙的形势（问题，时刻等）
【例句】
I need to speak to you about a delicate matter.我要跟你谈一件很棘手的事情。
The pay negotiations have reached a delicate point/stage.工资谈判已经到了微妙的关头／阶段。
Teachers need to strike a delicate (= carefully achieved) balance between instructing their students and letting them discover things for themselves.教师需要在向学生传授知识和引导学生自己去探索之间找到一个微妙的平衡点。
sensitive （话题、形势等）敏感的，须谨慎对待的
【例子】
a sensitive subject/issue/situation 敏感的话题/形势
tricky = difficult 难办的；难对付的
sticky = difficult [informal] 困难的，棘手的
ticklish = difficult（局面、形势）需小心处理的，棘手的
【例子】
a ticklish situation 棘手的局面/形势
thorny ——adjective (PROBLEM/SUBJECT) [ before noun ] A thorny problem or subject is difficult to deal with.棘手的，麻烦的
【例子】
the thorny issue of taxation 棘手的税收问题
knotty ——adjective (COMPLICATED)
[informal] (of a problem or difficulty) complicated and difficult to solve 错综复杂的；难于解决的，棘手的
【例子】
It was a very knotty problem. 那实在是一个棘手的问题。