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
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Recent Examples of prickly
The blockbuster drugs designed to control diabetes — now also widely used to help overweight people shed pounds — show great promise for tackling other prickly health problems: treating alcoholism, and perhaps smoking and other substance use disorders as well.
—
Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 19 Aug. 2025
As a down on her luck Marine-turned-detective, Michelle is a prickly character whose moral compass is often quite confusing.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 18 Aug. 2025
The loss of so many led to a population explosion of sea urchins — the prickly species that sea stars commonly eat — along the West Coast over the past decade.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2025
Head coach Sean Payton was predictably prickly about any notion of contract discussions.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for prickly
Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 19 Aug. 2025
As a down on her luck Marine-turned-detective, Michelle is a prickly character whose moral compass is often quite confusing.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 18 Aug. 2025
The loss of so many led to a population explosion of sea urchins — the prickly species that sea stars commonly eat — along the West Coast over the past decade.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2025
Head coach Sean Payton was predictably prickly about any notion of contract discussions.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for prickly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prickly
Adjective
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Nina not being there contributed to one of the most irritating moments in this season so far, with Antonio smugly blowing a kiss into the camera for her and gloating about being in the top after her harsh critique last week.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
29 Aug. 2025
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An irritating habit of his is to stop by and launch into long-winded stories about some mundane event in his present or past life or to pontificate about a current event.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Instead, Helen is allowed to be irritable and anti-social, chain-smoking and snappish, without the filmmaker casting judgment.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
2 Sep. 2025
-
If you are rushed or irritable, say so.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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During Friday’s press conference in the Palazzo del Casino, the actors tangled with the film’s thorny topics, which deal not only with assault but also race relations in the academic world and the ideological divide between generations.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
29 Aug. 2025
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The road narrowed, and dry grass and thorny scrub leaned over the dusty track, as two rhinos stepped quietly out of the undergrowth.—
Sarah Kingdom,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The Bulls look to be the best team in the Group of Five conferences, while the Gators and coach Billy Napier are now under pressure with a difficult SEC schedule ahead.—
Erick Smith,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Usually the final day of boot camp is most difficult.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Missouri Republican lawmakers late Thursday voted to advance a new, gerrymandered congressional map despite hours of fiery public testimony against the proposal.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
4 Sep. 2025
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As the mystery unravels from multiple POVs, Alex’s kooky aunt Gladys (Amy Madigan) is revealed as the orchestrator of the tragedy — her fiery orange hair, nimble fingers, ghostly face and wicked crimson smile a memorable image that haunts the narrative.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Most of the surface is made up of a fine dust with jagged edges because it hasn’t been weathered by wind or water.—
Jeremy Bogaisky,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Against all of this allegedly heady stuff, the score—by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross—intentionally jars us from encroaching drowsiness with chortling woodwinds and shardlike piano chords that are the aural equivalent of jagged Plexiglass off-cuts.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The automaker is the latest British company to be hit by a cybersecurity incident in recent months amid a surge in cyber and ransomware attacks globally, as increasingly sophisticated threat actors disrupt operations and compromise sensitive data.—
Pushkala Aripaka,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
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Stress has been building at the long-end of the yield curve, where investors are most sensitive to fiscal credibility.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Even though modern machines and detergents have taken most of the workload out of the task, there are still some outdated laundry habits that may leave your clothes and linens looking dingy, smelling less than fresh, and feeling scratchy.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
8 Aug. 2025
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The cups are removable, which is nice, depending on my mood, and the lace isn’t itchy or scratchy on my sensitive skin.—
Malia Griggs,
Glamour,
4 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prickly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prickly. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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