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
-
Amazon also strikes a nerve with an ad starring Chris Hemsworth that pokes fun of people’s fears of AI.—
Dee-Ann Durbin,
Fortune,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Cucurella lands on the rebound and pokes in.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
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Because of the way the director works, emotions tend to be more discussed than felt, although there’s something about Carla’s desperation that pierces through all the soberness.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Feb. 2026
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Nothing that pierces the skin should ever be used as leverage over a child's opportunity to education and to learn.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Comments that once elicited antagonistic barbs are met with calm acceptance.—
Jon Wiederhorn,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
-
From Callum Turner‘s cheekbones and Fanning’s wide eyes to Keough’s legs and Lukas Gage’s curls, beauty strikes at every turn, yet barely conceals the barbs and thorns such looks envelop here.—
David Opie,
IndieWire,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Your precise eye fixes friction early by making adjustments that prevent snags and give your bonds room to blossom.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Silky and quiet, the 10-denier nylon (100 percent recycled) proved durable enough to resist snags or rips over two years of heavy use in Colorado’s high peaks.—
Kelly Bastone,
Outside,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That still stings 30 years later.—
Hank Tester,
CBS News,
24 Feb. 2026
-
For the show’s devoted fanbase, the loss stings — but there’s no shortage of series ready to fill the void.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The posts included more than a dozen images that showed bruises and other wounds on her body, holes in the wall and broken cabinets.—
Jane Harper,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Pierce holes in the cake so that the Bourbon Glaze can soak in.—
Patricia S York,
Southern Living,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prickles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prickles. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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