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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as in stinging
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prickling
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
Adjective
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
Verb
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In 2009, Tropicana replaced its familiar logo, an orange with a straw poking out, with a minimalist design featuring a glass of orange juice.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
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Routh allegedly came within a few hundred yards of Trump before a Secret Service agent spotted his rifle poking out of a tree line.—
Nadine El-Bawab,
ABC News,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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While Bernhardt praises her gifts, the French diva doesn’t hold back in her stinging criticism of the production, calling it the same old prewar Italian theater, out of touch with the times.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
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All that and the Lakers – who were left scrambling after the Klaw left them hanging – threw together a squad of role-embracing vets who handled the bubble like pros and won the franchise its 17th title, a swift and stinging rebuttal.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Oc Register,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Iniki is the Hawaiian word for sharp and piercing wind.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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That alone is amazing, said Timbrook, Depue and a representative for the soft body armor vest that stopped a bullet from piercing the officer’s chest.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Pricey prescriptions and nagging medical costs are swamping some insurers and employers now.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
10 Sep. 2025
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Add another key defensive starter to the Broncos’ list of nagging ailments.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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On both of us, the product lathered up wonderfully and had an invigorating tingling sensation, likely thanks to the line's new PhytoFerment innovation.—
Janine Rubenstein,
People.com,
22 Aug. 2025
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Some people have no symptoms, but others may feel pain, tingling, numbness or muscle weakness.—
Lisa Hagen,
Hartford Courant,
11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Please tell me the sequel could answer the most burning question of the ’00s: How could Austin not recognize Sam in that mask?—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
13 Aug. 2025
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Cooper, 30, asked Hargitay one more burning question about the actors' on-screen alter egos: will Olivia and Elliot ever end up together?—
Victoria Edel,
People.com,
26 June 2025
Verb
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Fewer GCRs penetrating to earth’s atmosphere would mean fewer clouds to reflect heat and thus more global warming.—
Ian Dexter Palmer,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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The United States seriously contemplated striking North Korea’s Yongbyon reactor in 1993, even drawing up military plans to attack the site with penetrating munitions delivered by stealth bombers.—
VIPIN NARANG,
Foreign Affairs,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Her daughter, 1-year-old Imani Mitchell, was swollen and heavily bruised, according to the outlet.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
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Varicose veins—visible, swollen blood vessels underneath your skin, usually in your legs—can happen when blood that usually flows toward your heart backs up and pools in a vein.—
Sarah Hudgens,
Health,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prickling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prickling. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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