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
Year: 2014 Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu Runtime: 2h Stone received her first Oscar nomination for this Best Picture winner, playing Michael Keaton’s prickly daughter Sam, who’s a recovering addict and a hell of a flirt.
—
Tim Grierson, Vulture, 23 July 2025
Head coach Sean Payton was predictably prickly about any notion of contract discussions.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 23 July 2025
In response to this ambition, a countermovement has arisen, a prickly resistance to the idea of removing creativity from human hands.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2025
Lemon balm becomes prickly once established, so wear gloves when harvesting its leaves.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for prickly
Tim Grierson, Vulture, 23 July 2025
Head coach Sean Payton was predictably prickly about any notion of contract discussions.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 23 July 2025
In response to this ambition, a countermovement has arisen, a prickly resistance to the idea of removing creativity from human hands.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2025
Lemon balm becomes prickly once established, so wear gloves when harvesting its leaves.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for prickly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prickly
Adjective
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There’s nothing more irritating than looking in the bathroom mirror only to notice that the beautiful design of your necklace is actually on the backside of your neck, while the clasp is sitting front and center.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
17 Aug. 2025
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Born from the founder’s personal battle with eczema, the brand is a breath of fresh air in a world full of irritating, complicated formulas.—
Allure,
Allure,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Avi tries to comfort his grieving (read: irritable) mother by saying at least his grandmother and grandfather are together again in Heaven.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
22 Aug. 2025
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For years men have blamed divorce on menopause and said women are irritable and irrational, says Alyx Coble-Frake, founder of The Agenda, an app that helps women track their menstrual cycle to help increase productivity.—
Laura Trujillo,
USA Today,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The good news is that AI might be of some help to contend with the thorny consideration.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
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Gay rights proved to be a particularly thorny issue for Bondi.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Palace’s recruitment strategy depends on selling players, however difficult such deals are to stomach.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
22 Aug. 2025
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The Chamber said the cancellation was a difficult decision but ultimately the best course of action.—
Addison Wright,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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While Starship traveled its furthest distance of 2025 during its May 27 flight, the test marked the third time in a row that the spacecraft came apart in a fiery mishap before attempting key objectives.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
27 Aug. 2025
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After the intensity of the Virgo New Moon and the deep-dive vibes of the Scorpio Moon earlier in the week, this fiery lunar shift invites us to shake things off.—
Dossé-Via Trenou,
Refinery29,
24 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The cast rattles off the snappy dialogue, jagged with tension and menace, in performances that wink just slyly enough at the wry, knowing way that the characters deploy—and embody—gangland stereotypes.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
28 Aug. 2025
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Featuring pointed ears, jagged teeth and a mischievous grin, the rabbit-ish toy is flying off store shelves around the world and being collected by celebrities including Rihanna, Kim Kardashian and Lisa from the K-pop group Blackpink.—
Yue Wang,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The economically sensitive Dow Jones Industrial Average is outperforming the S & P 500 and touching fresh all-time highs following Powell's speech.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
22 Aug. 2025
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There’s another potential dynamic at play, too: Will humans be more willing to divulge more sensitive details to a machine than another human?—
Gina Chua,
semafor.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The cups are removable, which is nice, depending on my mood, and the lace isn’t itchy or scratchy on my sensitive skin.—
Malia Griggs,
Glamour,
4 Aug. 2025
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Initially, the image was scratchy, shaky, and covered with image artefacts, but after a few minutes, this dissipated.—
Benny Har-Even,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prickly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prickly. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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