prickly

1 causing an unpleasant tingling sensation she tried to ignore the feel of the prickly grass against her skin Synonyms irritating, itchy, scratchyRelated Words coarse, harsh, roughNear Antonyms silken, silky, soft, soothing

2 easily irritated or annoyed she dreaded having to deal with her prickly boss Synonyms choleric, crabby, cranky, cross, crotchety, fiery, grouchy, grumpy, irascible, peevish, perverse, pettish, petulant, irritable, quick-tempered, raspy, ratty, short-tempered, snappish, snappy, snarky, snippety, snippy, stuffy, testy, waspishRelated Words bearish, bilious, cantankerous, cross-grained, curmudgeonly, disagreeable, dyspeptic, ill-humored, ill-natured, ill-tempered, off-color (or off-colored), ornery, querulous, snarly, surly; argumentative, bellicose, belligerent, combative, contentious, disputatious, fractious, fretful, pugnacious, quarrelsome, scrappy, truculent; huffy, pouty, sensitive, short, sulky, sullen, tetchy, thin-skinned, touchy; hot-blooded, passionateNear Antonyms affable, companionable, cordial, extroverted (also extraverted), friendly, genial, gregarious, outgoing, sociable; agreeable, amiable, good-natured, good-tempered, sweet, well-disposed; carefree, easygoing, happy-go-lucky, relaxed; forbearing, long-suffering, obliging, patient, stoic (or stoical), tolerant, uncomplaining, understanding

3 having leaves or branches which are likely to cause a scratch waded carefully through the prickly bushes Synonyms brambly, scratchy, thistly, thornyRelated Words burred; bristly, coarse, jagged, rough

4 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 catchy, delicate, difficult, dodgy [chiefly British], hairy, knotty, nasty, tricky, problematic (also problematical), sensitive, spiny, sticky, thorny, ticklish, touchy, tough, tricksyRelated Words abstract, abstruse, complex, complicated, hard, intricate, involved, recondite, serious; problem, scabrous, stubborn, troublesome, troublous, vexatious, vexing, worrisome; burdensome, demanding, discommoding, exacting, exhausting, importunate, inconvenient, onerous, oppressive, painful, stressfulNear Antonyms easy, effortless, manageable, painless, simple, straightforward, uncomplicated, undemanding, unproblematic