PRICKLING Synonyms: 63 Similar and Opposite Words

prickling 1 of 2

adjective

as in stinging

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Dissimilar Words

prickling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of prickle

as in poking

to cause or experience an unpleasant feeling that is like the feeling of having many small, sharp points against your skin The burrs were prickling my arm. The wool sweater prickled my skin.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of prickling

Verb

As Luke walks off, his shirt undone and his furry belly prickling in the desert cold, Danny turns and stares out into the backyard. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026 Retatrutide has shown similar side effects, as well as a prickling sensation known as dysesthesia. — Meg Tirrell, CNN Money, 19 Mar. 2026 People with peripheral neuropathy may experience pins and needles sensations, such as tingling and prickling, in their extremities. — Laura Dorwart, Health, 22 Dec. 2025 It is spread to people and pets through the bites and scratches of an infected animal, and first symptoms may include flu, weakness, discomfort, fever, headache, as well as a prickling sensation at the site of the wound, before turning into more severe disease after around two weeks. — Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025 Whitefish salad prickling with chile and festooned with great tufts of cilantro. — Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors, Bon Appetit Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025 Jakobus speaks in an Old World dialect, Pilsner, delivering brisk herbal aromas, hints of fresh levain bread and a prickling hop bitterness. — Peter Rowe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for prickling

Adjective

That move came just as the clock was running out Friday on stopgap levies the president imposed after a stinging defeat for other tariffs at the Supreme Court.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 July 2026
The researchers' device aims to solve the stinging problem by physically preventing this meeting (unfortunately no images of it are available at this time).

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 30 June 2026

Definition of stinging

Verb

Instead, her dad looks under the table and sees a jumble of limbs with Chastain’s smiling face poking out at him.

— Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 21 July 2026
This included one of their players poking a finger into the ear of the Belgian penalty-spot protector Diego Moreira, and responding to the reactionary elbow to the tummy by going down, and staying down, on top of the penalty mark.

— Geir Jordet, New York Times, 15 July 2026

Definition of poking

Adjective

Juan Soto will get imaging done on his nagging left calf Saturday, Mets interim manager Andy Green said Friday night after New York’s 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

— Tim Britton, New York Times, 25 July 2026
In Jenny Offill’s Weather, climate change intrudes on its narrator’s mundane day-to-day thoughts, a nagging anxiety that never quite boils over.

— Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026

Definition of nagging

Verb

His piercing blue eyes shone through, despite the facial prosthetics covering every inch of his skin.

— Hannah Malach, InStyle, 30 July 2026
Their headlamps piercing the watery dark, the group swims along (only Sara has accepted a life jacket), admiring the bats and stalactites while Wat reminds them to respect the caves.

— Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026

Definition of piercing

Adjective

Dickerson was the first physician to treat Mike Studeny, who was diagnosed with a non-bleeding stroke.

— Christa Swanson, CBS News, 9 May 2026
In tests using mice, after surgical damage to the liver, AGCL was able to perform significantly better than other current anti-bleeding agents, with normal liver function returning just two weeks after its application.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 21 Jan. 2026

Definition of bleeding

Verb

Severe cases can cause tingling sensations in the hands and feet, and without treatment the disease can progress to respiratory or kidney failure.

— Amanda Roome, The Conversation, 16 July 2026
Holland also told Fallon his Spidey senses are tingling for an England championship win.

— Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 14 July 2026

Definition of tingling

Adjective

Prosecutors said some of the money was used for recruiting new members and purchasing Ku Klux Klan robes and materials for cross-burning ceremonies.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 July 2026
In the case of the cross-burning incident, there is no comparison to the Jussie Smollett case.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2026

Definition of burning

Verb

While at her home, Tate is accused of putting his arm around her neck and placing her in a chokehold without her consent, penetrating her between bouts of unconsciousness over several hours.

— Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 27 July 2026
Ho also said Celeste bore two significant penetrating injuries — one wound to her abdomen, which passed through the diaphragm and injured the liver, and the other penetrated the left side of her chest, damaging ribs and entered the chest cavity.

— Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 25 July 2026

Definition of penetrating

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“Prickling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prickling. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of prickling

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

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