variants
also spikey
as in barbed
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Recent Examples of spiky
Her hair was mostly swept up into a bun, emphasizing the straight line of her slightly spiky new bangs.
—
Aimée Lutkin, ELLE, 27 Aug. 2023
And the finale, two lobsters — brown and spikier than their US relativesbut much sweeter, more like crab — split in half and over what must be a pound of spaghetti.
—Helene Stapinski, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Mar. 2023
These ads document the EV arms race playing out right now as companies beef up their electric offerings with higher profiles, spikier bodies, and more imposing grilles.
—Curbed, 8 Feb. 2023
Romeo, played on this preview night by understudy Brandon Antonio, becomes a deliciously dim himbo, and Wolfe, as a Renaissance housewife desperate to breathe the air out there, brings a great, spiky irreverence to her disgruntled Anne.
—Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 18 Nov. 2022
See All Example Sentences for spiky
Aimée Lutkin, ELLE, 27 Aug. 2023
And the finale, two lobsters — brown and spikier than their US relativesbut much sweeter, more like crab — split in half and over what must be a pound of spaghetti.
—Helene Stapinski, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Mar. 2023
These ads document the EV arms race playing out right now as companies beef up their electric offerings with higher profiles, spikier bodies, and more imposing grilles.
—Curbed, 8 Feb. 2023
Romeo, played on this preview night by understudy Brandon Antonio, becomes a deliciously dim himbo, and Wolfe, as a Renaissance housewife desperate to breathe the air out there, brings a great, spiky irreverence to her disgruntled Anne.
—Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 18 Nov. 2022
See All Example Sentences for spiky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiky
Adjective
-
Thailand says the barbed wire was set up to prevent the planting of mines and is on its own land.—
Matthew Tostevin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
-
No one else writes with such wounding, barbed wit.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Jeanne Tripplehorn is having a blast as Dale’s caustic widow Betty Jo.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Ross gets away with such a surfeit of sentiment precisely because of his naturally caustic inclinations; the jokes are sharp enough and the laughs are hard and plentiful enough that all of the schmaltz feels not just charming but well-earned.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Lazarus is comfortable knowing that his sardonic smack-talking can only give Belichick, and the team, more motivational fodder for next season.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
3 Sep. 2025
-
And an almost incidental scene, in which the NSA’s North Korea expert (Greta Lee) watches a Battle of Gettysburg reenactment with her son on a day off, seems a sardonic acknowledgment that war for America is a blustery display with little long-range vision.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The sour note was Inigo Martinez’s exit to Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Teng ended his afternoon having allowed four runs over four-plus innings with eight strikeouts and five walks, a sour end to a great beginning.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Where the strain required for a tenor to hit that upper register lends these verses an acerbic, explosive edge, a countertenor can approach the same lines with lamblike lyricism, as Mobley did.—
Hannah Edgar,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Aug. 2025
-
That movie was an acerbic portrait of a friendship gone sour, laced with barbed insults.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
In addition to security concerns, Sun Fresh spent a significant amount of time and resources working to locate a pungent sewage smell many customers complained about.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
15 Aug. 2025
-
Unrefined coconut oil has a more pungent coconut smell and flavor.—
Lauren Panoff,
Verywell Health,
11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Even an otherwise neutral comment can be contorted into a sarcastic retort, an insult or a counterattack.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
-
On the par-4 14th, Scheffler splashed out of a greenside bunker to 10 feet, missed the par putt, and then, without hesitation, threw a sarcastic fist pump toward the hole.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Use fertile, moist, slightly acidic soil that’s well-draining, and amend it with compost or other organic matter.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Never use any acidic material on copper sinks.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spiky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiky. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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