1
2
as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed
she dreaded having to deal with her prickly boss
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
4
as in difficult
requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling
a prickly issue that will outrage at least one special interest if not handled delicately
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of prickly
Their prickly relationship drives much of the story.
—
Adam B. Vary, Variety, 30 May 2025
And who should pick up Agathe from the ferry but a handsome, prickly Englishman, Oliver (Charlie Anson), the great-great-great-great-grandnephew of Ms. Austen herself.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 25 May 2025
No, the show’s appeal lies in its complicated depiction of bickering and bruising sisters, with prickly performances from Meghann Fahy and Milly Alcock giving the series an alluring and distinguishing jolt.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 22 May 2025
The brief meeting came amid prickly relations between the Papacy and the Trump Administration, which had worsened in recent months as Pope Francis openly criticized U.S. policy on deportation.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prickly
Adam B. Vary, Variety, 30 May 2025
And who should pick up Agathe from the ferry but a handsome, prickly Englishman, Oliver (Charlie Anson), the great-great-great-great-grandnephew of Ms. Austen herself.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 25 May 2025
No, the show’s appeal lies in its complicated depiction of bickering and bruising sisters, with prickly performances from Meghann Fahy and Milly Alcock giving the series an alluring and distinguishing jolt.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 22 May 2025
The brief meeting came amid prickly relations between the Papacy and the Trump Administration, which had worsened in recent months as Pope Francis openly criticized U.S. policy on deportation.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prickly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prickly
Adjective
-
Not just the threat-of-extinction stuff, which includes Bassett’s POTUS debating which American city to blow up as a preemptive gesture, but by its own irritating God’s-eye omniscience that rarely allows the suspense to spool out in the present.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2025
-
For some people, double cleansing may be too irritating.—
Sarah Bence,
Verywell Health,
15 May 2025
Adjective
-
Cass fulfills his obligations in a particularly irritable way.—
Jesse Hassenger,
Vulture,
30 Apr. 2025
-
One person’s fatigue is another’s back pain, is another’s migraine or irritable bowel, or long Covid, and so on.—
Jessica DuLong,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
These include infidelities, unspoken longings, and thorny questions of land inheritance.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
2 June 2025
-
In his first inaugural address in 1933, former President Franklin D. Roosevelt laid out a political axiom that would come to shrewdly diagnose America's thorny brand of insularity.—
Clare Morell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
No matter how sweet, the little crocodile grows bigger and more difficult to care for.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
10 June 2025
-
Despite her risky gambit, Metcalfe, who is studying to be an attorney at the University of Law in Manchester, England, admits that her sport has helped her through some of the most difficult times of her life.—
Andy Frye,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
Adjective
-
While some brands promise heat but don’t deliver, this lives up to the hype with a fiery blast of red jalapeño and habanero chilis.—
Sabrina Weiss,
People.com,
4 June 2025
-
Boulder attack suspect’s family detained The wife and five children of Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the suspect in the fiery assault on Jewish demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado, have been detained by immigration officials, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Tuesday.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
4 June 2025
Adjective
-
May 31, 2025 The jagged ridges in the green mountains above Spruce Pine look strange at first, as if they were scratched into the surface by giant claws.—
Mike Belleme,
New York Times,
31 May 2025
-
Especially when exploring all the jagged edges can be as delicious as it has been executed in Sirens.—
Rachel Elspeth Gross,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2025
Adjective
-
Amino acids are more easily absorbed than proteins and do not damage the intestinal environment, which means even those with sensitive digestions can take them.—
MISAKI KAWATSU,
Vogue,
10 June 2025
-
This principle, applied across all workloads, is instrumental for reducing the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive data.—
Ben Blanquera,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
Adjective
-
This one attaches easily to your carry-on and spares you from those scratchy airline blankets.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
30 May 2025
-
For example, dry air, smoking, or exposure to secondhand smoke often lead to a scratchy throat and hoarseness.—
Laura Dorwart,
Verywell Health,
12 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prickly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prickly. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share