as in pokes
to cause or experience an unpleasant feeling that is like the feeling of having many small, sharp points against your skin
The burrs were prickling my arm. The wool sweater prickled my skin.
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Recent Examples of prickles
Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2026
Verb
An awareness of absent ancestors prickles through her writing, but at the same time, her fictional worlds feel solid and present.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prickles
Verb
-
In it, Grace can be seen playing a racing game while the Mallrats creator pokes fun at her driving skills.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 June 2026
-
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander apparently isn’t amused by a new board game that pokes fun at the Oklahoma City Thunder star’s reputation for garnering foul calls at the hint of contact by an opposing player.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
The team identified a continuous midline feature that began as a fleshy crest along the neck and trunk and transitioned over the hips into a single row of spikes running down the tail — each spike positioned over a single vertebra and fitted to each other.—
Abhishek Bhardwaj,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
And who the f--- pierces a 12 year old?—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
24 May 2026
-
Lockwood’s music instills joy in listening, and such revitalized desire leaves your body freshly tender, sensitive to whatever pierces the ear.—
Joshua Minsoo Kim,
Pitchfork,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The tenacious ex–Special Forces vet can be found tracking killers and trading barbs with his partner Jerry (Jamie Hector) in this long-running series drawn from Michael Connelly’s crime novels.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 June 2026
-
And in his second term, the leaders now openly trade barbs, disagreeing over tariffs, Ukraine and the Iran war.—
Darlene Superville,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Nothing stings quite like being steps from getting your credit card out to make a glorious purchase, and finding that your promo code isn’t working.—
Hannah Chubb,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 June 2026
-
If a memory stings during work, step away briefly, write a few lines, then return with cleaner focus for the task in front of you.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
As a whole, this laptop can handle everyday tasks like browsing and run a few productivity programs at once without software snags.—
Kelsey Fogarty,
PC Magazine,
13 June 2026
-
The gold plates effortlessly glided through both my real hair and the clip-ins, straightening them evenly without any snags.—
Essence Wiley,
InStyle,
24 May 2026
Verb
-
Caulk holes around plumbing and sewer lines where roaches are likely to enter.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
4 June 2026
-
Space the planting holes 18 to 24 inches apart and space rows 3 to 6 feet apart.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prickles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prickles. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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