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
With a prickly bubble, Fever Tree leapt to the top of our tasters’ lists almost immediately.
—
Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 July 2025
Season 7, released in April, continued the show’s prickly use of digital avatars and machine learning as plot devices for stories about moviemaking, video games and even attending a funeral.
—Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2025
Lois's professional pride, Clark/Superman's surprisingly prickly self-defensiveness and the couple’s seesaw of friction and attraction are the closest a superhero movie will ever come to Woody Allen’s Husbands and Wives.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 8 July 2025
Investors were concerned by another prickly tariff announcement.
—Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for prickly
Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 July 2025
Season 7, released in April, continued the show’s prickly use of digital avatars and machine learning as plot devices for stories about moviemaking, video games and even attending a funeral.
—Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2025
Lois's professional pride, Clark/Superman's surprisingly prickly self-defensiveness and the couple’s seesaw of friction and attraction are the closest a superhero movie will ever come to Woody Allen’s Husbands and Wives.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 8 July 2025
Investors were concerned by another prickly tariff announcement.
—Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for prickly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prickly
Adjective
-
The woman’s walk was rushed and uptight, making that sound even more irritating.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
6 Aug. 2025
-
The call was impersonal, irritating, and to Borchardt, quite lazy.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
3 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
SSRIs are linked to a condition called neonatal adaption syndrome, in which infants are born jittery, irritable and with abnormal muscle tone.—
Andrew Novick,
The Conversation,
31 July 2025
-
Frequently, kids who suppress emotions at school come home irritable in a low-key fashion at home.—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
29 July 2025
Adjective
-
Even if, again, the episode skips over the thorny question of how exactly this group of schmoes managed to cage a pure killing machine.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
5 Aug. 2025
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Such partnerships raise a host of thorny questions, says Michalak, who has worked with private companies, nonprofit groups, universities and the federal government on greenhouse gas monitoring satellite projects.—
Rebecca Hersher,
NPR,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
This deep understanding of local transportation patterns would have been difficult with rapid multi-city expansion.—
Tima Bansal,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
-
But even though scientists have been able to discover thousands of planets orbiting stars beyond our solar system in recent years, including some around Proxima Centauri, which is fairly a dim star, it's been difficult to go planet-hunting around Alpha Centauri A and B, which orbit each other.—
Nell Greenfieldboyce,
NPR,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Only the last photo during the end credits pictures the fiery aftermath of Hutch’s ultimate battle with Ladeena.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
-
The fiery and destructive reentry created a fireball that streaked across the skies over Spain, the Spanish newspaper El Mundo reports.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
This plant is recognizable by its characteristic arrangement of leaves growing in groups of three with edges that vary from smooth to jagged.—
Christopher P. Holstege,
CNN Money,
17 Aug. 2025
-
Beads of sweat dripped in jagged lines from Brandis Rogers’ temples and the nape of her neck.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Federated Learning: This privacy-preserving technique allows AI models to learn from decentralized data across games and platforms without compromising user privacy, enhancing moderation without centralizing sensitive data.—
Anees Ali Khan,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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Not all acres are equal, of course, but there are myriad existing laws to protect areas that are sensitive for ecological, cultural, or other good reasons.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Using too much detergent leaves soapy residue in fabrics, trapping dirt, bacteria, and hard water minerals, which leaves clothes looking dull, feeling stiff and scratchy, and smelling bad.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
8 Aug. 2025
-
The effects can be felt right away, says the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), with symptoms including a scratchy throat, coughing, trouble breathing, and chest pain.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
2 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prickly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prickly. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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