as in stinging
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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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Recent Examples of prickling
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
Discomfort, such as a prickling sensation, at the site of the bite is also possible.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 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
Verb
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
Discomfort, such as a prickling sensation, at the site of the bite is also possible.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 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
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Beekeeping Frisco businessman Nate Sheets had a comfortable lead over three-term Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller in a heated Republican primary Tuesday after roughly half the votes were tallied, a stinging initial victory in a race roiled by an unusual split at the top of the GOP.—
Lilly Kersh,
Dallas Morning News,
3 Mar. 2026
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The most stinging examples involved longtime partner and close personal friend Ryan Lindgren, and more recently, Panarin.—
Vincent Z. Mercogliano,
New York Times,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But even before that, there were questions and media folks, like myself and others, were poking these questions about the president's former president's acuity and age and how much that was affecting his decision making or ability to run a campaign and even be President of the United States.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
12 Mar. 2026
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The villains in this TikTok trend are clear, with most of the videos poking fun at narcissistic, annoying, or outright delusional people that just seem to be an inescapable part of life these days.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Haunted by a nagging suspicion that something isn’t adding up in regards to his cousin Ben’s death.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
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Wednesday’s rematch at Parc des Princes in the Champions League round of 16 provides a chance for both teams to answer some nagging questions.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Loud Sound Reduction is another nice-to-have perk carried over from the AirPods Pro series, letting the headphones reduce the severity of sirens, construction and other ear-piercing sounds.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
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When a medic advised him that the cut would need stitches, Green suggested piercing the bandage up with a stud — or, alternatively, throwing some Elmer’s glue on it.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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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
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These injuries resulted in 684 days lost per 1,000 training hours during menstruation, compared to 206 days lost during non-bleeding days.—
Ciara Lucas,
SELF,
16 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Please tell me the sequel could answer the most burning question of the ’00s: How could Austin not recognize Sam in that mask?—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
13 Aug. 2025
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Cooper, 30, asked Hargitay one more burning question about the actors' on-screen alter egos: will Olivia and Elliot ever end up together?—
Victoria Edel,
People.com,
26 June 2025
Verb
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These ingredients can also cause side effects, including nausea, heart palpitations, and tingling sensations.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
13 Mar. 2026
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If ingested, the worms can cause severe headaches, stiff neck, the sensation of tingling or painful skin, low-grade fever, nausea, vomiting, coma and sometimes death.—
Susanne Rust
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Commercial grout cleaners can be more effective than DIY solutions since these cleaners have a higher concentration of penetrating chemicals.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
13 Mar. 2026
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Instead of penetrating deep brain tissue, the device uses minimally invasive extradural implantation, placing electrodes outside the dura layer of the brain.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prickling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prickling. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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