as in stinging
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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
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Recent Examples of prickling
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.
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Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
Whitefish salad prickling with chile and festooned with great tufts of cilantro.
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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
Verb
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
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Jean-Philippe Mateta, named in France’s World Cup squad earlier this month, reacted superbly after Rayo keeper Augusto Batalla could only parry a stinging Wharton shot from the edge of the box.
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Coming up short in the 2025 ISL boys lacrosse championship left a stinging sensation for Tabor Academy.
Verb
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Indeed, when Orion disappears below the western horizon during spring evenings, the Scorpion is poking his head up in the southeast.
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Kansas City isn't much of a pedestrian city, but now, blue and green specks of fans dot the sidewalks, like wildflowers poking through a crack in the pavement.
Adjective
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His core argument is that abundance carries hidden costs the effort of evaluating options, the fear of picking wrong and the nagging sense that some other choice might have been better.
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Sometimes nagging and mysterious injuries can be the result of weak glutes.
Verb
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On the other hand, however, take a step back and the world-building is jaw-dropping; on a big screen, Rogue Trooper is almost overwhelming, and Barnard becomes an almost godlike presence by the end with his piercing white eyes (don’t worry, it’s explained).
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If discovering tiny insect casings or sticky residue, this often indicates those insects with piercing and sucking mouthparts that slowly siphon sap from plants, depleting their ability to feed themselves through photosynthesis.
Adjective
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Dickerson was the first physician to treat Mike Studeny, who was diagnosed with a non-bleeding stroke.
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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.
Verb
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Fans' spidey senses are tingling after the release of promotional merchandise for the latest iteration of the franchise.
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Our spidey senses are tingling that there’s plenty more to come as this tour continues.
Adjective
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In the case of the cross-burning incident, there is no comparison to the Jussie Smollett case.
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Some people drove or walked by, staring, and a video of the cross-burning gained traction online.
Verb
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Neusch was acutely aware of nerve-equivalent impulses reporting the beam penetrating the light armor, searing the bio-andy’s hip and thigh.
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On Tuesday, the Sheriff’s Office began using ground-penetrating radar to search the soil at Miranda’s Rescue in Fortuna for carcasses.
Cite this Entry
“Prickling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prickling. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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