PRICKLING Synonyms: 63 Similar and Opposite Words

prickling 1 of 2

adjective

as in stinging

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Dissimilar Words

prickling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of prickle

as in poking

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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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 prickling

Verb

Initial symptoms of rabies include flu-like illness including weakness or discomfort, fever, or headache, and discomfort, prickling, or an itching sensation at the site of the bite. — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 3 Aug. 2026 As Luke walks off, his shirt undone and his furry belly prickling in the desert cold, Danny turns and stares out into the backyard. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026 Retatrutide has shown similar side effects, as well as a prickling sensation known as dysesthesia. — Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 19 Mar. 2026 People with peripheral neuropathy may experience pins and needles sensations, such as tingling and prickling, in their extremities. — Laura Dorwart, Health, 22 Dec. 2025 It is spread to people and pets through the bites and scratches of an infected animal, and first symptoms may include flu, weakness, discomfort, fever, headache, as well as a prickling sensation at the site of the wound, before turning into more severe disease after around two weeks. — Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025 Whitefish salad prickling with chile and festooned with great tufts of cilantro. — Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors, Bon Appetit Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025 Jakobus speaks in an Old World dialect, Pilsner, delivering brisk herbal aromas, hints of fresh levain bread and a prickling hop bitterness. — Peter Rowe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for prickling

Adjective

Biting and stinging arthropods, such as wasps, mosquitos and spiders, account for five states.

— Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 2026
That move came just as the clock was running out Friday on stopgap levies the president imposed after a stinging defeat for other tariffs at the Supreme Court.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 July 2026

Definition of stinging

Verb

Traditionally, there’s this rendering of hell as a dark cave with fire, and there’s the devil with a pitchfork poking everybody with it.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026
With the help of Nollet, Anderson’s hair was blown and teased away from her forehead, with tinges of pink poking through.

— Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of poking

Adjective

Baker-Mazara, who dealt with nagging injuries all season that held him out of practice, spent the remainder of the game in a folding chair on the baseline, away from the rest of the team.

— Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Other running backs have had careers halted in their mid-to-late 20s because of burdensome or nagging injuries.

— Zach Berman, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of nagging

Verb

But, even more specifically, the story is in dialogue with the British artist David Austen’s minimal and piercing drawings.

— Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026
Possible options include ammunition designed for varied levels of impact, including armor-piercing configurations.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of piercing

Adjective

Dickerson was the first physician to treat Mike Studeny, who was diagnosed with a non-bleeding stroke.

— Christa Swanson, CBS News, 9 May 2026
In tests using mice, after surgical damage to the liver, AGCL was able to perform significantly better than other current anti-bleeding agents, with normal liver function returning just two weeks after its application.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 21 Jan. 2026

Definition of bleeding

Verb

And, in recent years, a new culinary wave has emerged, as chefs create bold fusion dishes or, more subtly, adapt Japanese recipes to uniquely Brazilian produce, from Amazon river fish to jambu, a tongue-tingling herb.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 6 Sep. 2026
Paper menus allow diners to tick off orders of lip-tingling laab, luscious khao soi, and juicy pomelo salad, feeling like a never-ending invitation to add just one more course.

— The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of tingling

Adjective

Prosecutors said some of the money was used for recruiting new members and purchasing Ku Klux Klan robes and materials for cross-burning ceremonies.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 July 2026
In the case of the cross-burning incident, there is no comparison to the Jussie Smollett case.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2026

Definition of burning

Verb

Although limited in pitch, their often booming, penetrating sound served crucial roles in early human communication and culture, particularly for signaling across long distances and for ceremonies and other rituals.

— Kara Rogers, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Sep. 2026
Ukraine has spent years using its drone arsenal to great effect, both in its wartime front with Russian forces and in penetrating deep into Russian territory for daring aerial attacks on fuel and commercial infrastructure.

— Rafi Schwartz, TheWeek, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of penetrating

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“Prickling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prickling. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of prickling

adjective

verb

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