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
  • These prickly hairs are for protection, with barbed ends that easily penetrate the skin of predators or your hand.
    — Markis Hill, Kansas City Star, 26 July 2026
  • And the host is surprisingly game to poke fun at his own prickly Hollywood reputation, lending the entire hour-long episode a kind of comedy synergy that elevates it above the usual collection of reference jokes.
    — Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 25 July 2026
Definition of prickly
Adjective
  • Despite its two-hour-52-minute run time, its pace is absorbing, particularly after the jagged editing of the first hour.
    — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 27 July 2026
  • Swaths of land left uncontrolled grew into carpets of invasive buffelgrass nearly right up to the jagged edge between the mountain and the sky.
    — Angus Chen, STAT, 22 July 2026
Definition of jagged
Adjective
  • Ervin for thinking creatively about this thorniest of issues.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2026
  • There’s some wisdom in not having a rape threat hover over ten hours of serialized television, and the shift has opened up some thorny connections between Cady and Anna Bowden, whose pasts continue to intersect in intriguing ways.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 17 July 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.

Browse Nearby Words

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 2 Aug. 2026.

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