adjective
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having or covered with prickles
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stinging or tingling
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bad-tempered or irritable
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full of difficulties; knotty
a prickly problem
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of prickly
Explanation
Prickly things are sharp and spiky, while prickly people are quick to be offended or irritated. Ouch! A prickly tag in the collar of your new shirt can make you uncomfortable all day, and so can a prickly co-worker whose feelings seem to get hurt by everything you say. Porcupines and cactuses are prickly, and so is the next-door neighbor who is constantly irritated with you. The first thing that was described as prickly, in the 1570s, was a holly leaf.
Vocabulary lists containing prickly
"American Names"
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"Terrible Things"
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Spelling Practice, Unit 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If we’re lucky, this week’s summit in Beijing won’t produce any shocking headlines on Iran, Taiwan, or any of the other prickly issues that divide the U.S. and China.
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
In “Luna Likes,” the prickly protagonist is directly inspired by her experiences growing up, as well as the bond she shared with her dad over Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown” show.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026
Driving around Raub, a small town in Malaysia, it's impossible to miss the prickly fruit that powers its economy.
From BBC • Jan. 10, 2026
Impressive world building gives a visceral texture to the environment that reflects the prickly emotions by those used, abused and cast off, who then reclaim their power by banding together.
From Salon • Dec. 19, 2025
I went back to Shusgis’ house and reveled in the hot showerbath, which came at one from all sides in a kind of prickly mist.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
