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prickly

[ prik-lee ]

/ ˈprɪk li /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR prickly ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, prick·li·er, prick·li·est.

full of or armed with prickles.

full of troublesome points: a prickly problem.

prickling; smarting: a prickly sensation.

Origin of prickly

First recorded in 1570–80; prickle + -y¹

OTHER WORDS FROM prickly

prick·li·ness, noun un·prick·ly, adjective

Words nearby prickly

pricking, prickle, prickle cell, prickle cell layer, prickleback, prickly, prickly ash, prickly heat, prickly pear, prickly poppy, prickspur

Example sentences from the Web for prickly

She used electrolysis to banish the prickly hair from her delicate face.

Inside A Finishing School for Transwomen |Sharon Adarlo |December 27, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
I missed Don's chiseled mug and Roger's blithe wisecracks and Peggy's prickly chutzpah.

Mad Men’s Dramatic Déjà Vu: ‘Time Zones’ Feels Redundant |Andrew Romano |April 14, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Children are not idealized: they are resourceful but prickly, cunning but confused.

Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘The Wind Rises’: An Anime Icon Bows Out |Andrew Romano |November 15, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Music critic and former MTV News anchor Kurt Loder pays tribute to the prickly, brilliant Velvet Underground front man.

American Poet: Remembering Lou Reed |Kurt Loder |October 28, 2013 |DAILY BEAST

This is one of those shot-across-the-bow editorials, but of an especially intense and prickly sort.

Washington Post on Hagel |Michael Tomasky |December 19, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
Well, you'd a died to see dad get up out of that prickly cactus and take the lead for good old Rome.

Peck's Bad Boy Abroad |George W. Peck
It would, he felt, be so refreshing—so delicious after the hot night and the sensations of prickly heat.

Rob Harlow's Adventures |George Manville Fenn
The moment the holding of Constantinople comes along the French and the Russians will be very jealous and prickly.

Gallipoli Diary, Volume I |Ian Hamilton
The sun grew hotter with every hour's travel; the trail became more dusty; the prickly sage looked more browned and withered.

On a Donkey's Hurricane Deck |R. Pitcher Woodward
It is like requesting me to smile sweetly when grasping the fruit of a chestnut tree which wears a prickly overcoat.

The House of the Misty Star |Fannie Caldwell Macaulay

British Dictionary definitions for prickly

prickly

/ (ˈprɪklɪ) /

adjective -lier or -liest

having or covered with prickles

stinging or tingling

bad-tempered or irritable

full of difficulties; knotty a prickly problem

Derived forms of prickly

prickliness, noun