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View synonyms for prickly

prickly

[ prik-lee ]

adjective

, prick·li·er, prick·li·est.
  1. full of or armed with prickles.
  2. full of troublesome points:

    a prickly problem.

  3. prickling; smarting:

    a prickly sensation.



prickly

/ ˈprɪklɪ /

adjective

  1. having or covered with prickles
  2. stinging or tingling
  3. bad-tempered or irritable
  4. full of difficulties; knotty

    a prickly problem

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Derived Forms

  • ˈprickliness, noun
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Other Words From

  • prickli·ness noun
  • un·prickly adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of prickly1

First recorded in 1570–80; prickle + -y 1
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Example Sentences

Joan Didion has called fire season the season of prickly dread, the season when the wind works on the nerves and every voice seems a scream.

From Slate

“Martha” doesn’t gloss over Stewart’s prickly, demanding personality, but it also makes the case that she was unfairly maligned — and ultimately prosecuted — because of her gender.

She made a name for herself in standup by bringing her audiences juicy insider stories about the celebrity elite, twisted into no-holds-barred anecdotes that turned her into a prickly figure in Hollywood.

From Salon

The route: Hike to Batiquitos Lagoon, then to Moonlight State Beach, where you’ll be bathed in the scent of the flowers cascading down the steep escarpment above, including lantana, purple sea foam and prickly pear cactus blossoms.

The plant Mexicans most identify with is the prickly pear cactus.

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