adjective

tense, nervous, or irritable.

he became edgy and defensive

tense,nervous,on edge,highly strung,anxious,apprehensive,uneasy,ill at ease,unsettled,unstable,excitable,twitchy,jumpy,keyed up,fidgety,restive,skittish,neurotic,brittle,hysterical,sensitive,insecure,irritable,touchy,tetchy,testy,crotchety,irascible,peevish,querulous,bad-tempered,short-tempered,hot-tempered,quick-tempered,temperamental,snappy,captious,crabbed,prickly,nervy,uptight,wired,stressy