1
2
as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed
she dreaded having to deal with her prickly boss
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
4
as in difficult
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 & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prickly
Akio — a prickly, ambitious kid with a short backstory that includes being abandoned by his mother — dreams of shooting up through the rankings to fame and glory.
—
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2025
Colorful flower buds, prickly bundles of herbs and stakes supporting leafy produce fill the garden.
—Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025
With a blunt cut (editing by Yang Hongyu), we are plunged into the goings-on of Film City, where Fang Di battles with a prickly director asking her to do another take of an action sequence.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Feb. 2025
It’s abandoned now and has fallen into disrepair, with broken slats on the wood steps and prickly bushes growing over the front porch.
—Melinda Newman, Billboard, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prickly
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2025
Colorful flower buds, prickly bundles of herbs and stakes supporting leafy produce fill the garden.
—Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025
With a blunt cut (editing by Yang Hongyu), we are plunged into the goings-on of Film City, where Fang Di battles with a prickly director asking her to do another take of an action sequence.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Feb. 2025
It’s abandoned now and has fallen into disrepair, with broken slats on the wood steps and prickly bushes growing over the front porch.
—Melinda Newman, Billboard, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prickly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prickly
Adjective
-
Atopic dermatitis is a chronic condition with genetic and environmental causes, whereas atopic dermatitis stems from an irritating substance that triggers a rash.—
Susan Bard,
Verywell Health,
2 Apr. 2025
-
Going Overboard with Outdoor Lighting Light pollution can be just as irritating as that dog down the street who barks like clockwork for 30 minutes every night.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Strong winds also may have North Texans feeling more irritable, which scientists blame on there being too many positive ions in the air.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Mar. 2025
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Signs of overextension burnout include feeling emotionally drained, becoming irritable and struggling to focus—all of which can affect both your work and personal life.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The thorny legal issue over who gets to distribute long-running game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune has an update.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
10 Apr. 2025
-
The bloc’s landmark legislation known as the AI Act has proven particularly thorny for companies in the rapidly growing artificial intelligence industry.—
Ryan Browne,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Third, operational command of Kamikaze planes is difficult because results cannot be evaluated with any accuracy.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2025
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Instead, the major drama comes in the form of Ivy’s corruption by her acting coach, as Ivy gradually goes method and becomes as difficult to work with as Marilyn was (one of this musical’s many meta moments).—
Christian Lewis,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
After speaker introductions, a panel of state officials and medical providers fielded questions from the media, and Larson stepped up to answer the first one, speaking in his typical fiery rhetoric.—
Katy Golvala,
Hartford Courant,
5 Apr. 2025
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Azealia Banks and Wale found themselves in a fiery social media clash this week, sparked by an unrelated response to Wale’s X post.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The result of billions of years of micrometeorite impacts on the lunar surface and lack of water on the Moon has left this dust with jagged, razor-sharp shapes and the constant bombardment by cosmic rays has given each particle an electrostatic charge.—
David Szondy,
New Atlas,
1 Apr. 2025
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Rescue workers in other parts of the country dug through piles of twisted rebar and jagged concrete where buildings had been destroyed.—
Sui-Lee Wee,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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In late March, four Taiwanese soldiers, three of whom were part of a unit that provides security for Taiwan’s Presidential Office, were jailed for up to seven years after being convicted of selling pictures of sensitive information to China.—
Eryk Michael Smith,
FOXNews.com,
10 Apr. 2025
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Cooling, calming, and tailor-made for sensitive skin, this mask drapes delicately across your face to deliver a serious hit of cica (Centella asiatica) and allantoin—soothing redness and dryness in minutes.—
Annie Blackman,
Allure,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Scratchy or Sore Throat The common cold can cause a scratchy or sore throat (pharyngitis), which usually resolves on its own within one week.—
Lauren Schlanger,
Verywell Health,
3 Apr. 2025
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Warm beverages with cannabis extracts may soothe scratchy throats while providing hydration.—
Tribune Content Agency,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prickly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prickly. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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