thistly

adjective

Definition of thistlynext
as in prickly
having leaves or branches which are likely to cause a scratch caught her sleeve on a thistly bush

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for thistly
  1. prickly
  2. jagged
  3. thorny
  4. scratchy
Adjective
  • The Social Democrats, led by Kurt Schumacher, a prickly figure who had suffered horribly for resisting the Nazis, were mistrustful of the United States and hoped to reunify Germany as a neutral state at the center of Europe.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Faith King and Josiah Fagerstrom both deliver delightfully prickly repartee as their characters gradually manage to surpass archetype.
    — Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of prickly
Adjective
  • But a little more than a minute after launch, the shuttle exploded, sending jagged plumes across the sky creating an image that would be seared into collective memory.
    — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Unlike oyster mushrooms, however, hen of the woods have a darker brown hue and the edges of the mushrooms are more scalloped and jagged than rounded.
    — Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of jagged
Adjective
  • Data centers and their demands on power, land and water have become thorny political issues and are largely unpopular with the public.
    — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • How much bigger is a thornier question that remains open today, but Erdős was the first person to make significant progress on it.
    — Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of thorny
Adjective
  • Drummer Jay Russell kept to stark rattles, Sam Shipstone patched in his scratchy electric guitar, and Ryan Needham needled through grumbling basslines.
    — Victoria Borlando, Pitchfork, 24 July 2026
  • Your dry scratchy eyes also aren’t a figment of your imagination.
    — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 22 July 2026
Definition of scratchy
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.

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this
thistly
thorax
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Cite this Entry

“Thistly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thistly. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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