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
- prickliness noun
- unprickly adjective
Etymology
Origin of prickly
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.
Chalamet’s loss capped off a prickly night for the actor, who dodged a bit of mud slung in the direction of his gleaming white suit.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 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
The heart rate elevates, muscles quiver, the skin can feel hot and prickly because of increased blood flow.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 1, 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 straighten his lapel and try not to pay attention to my prickly nerves as we head inside.
From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio
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.
