1
2
as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed
she dreaded having to deal with her prickly boss
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
4
as in difficult
requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling
a prickly issue that will outrage at least one special interest if not handled delicately
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prickly
Season 7, released in April, continued the show’s prickly use of digital avatars and machine learning as plot devices for stories about moviemaking, video games and even attending a funeral.
—
Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2025
Lois's professional pride, Clark/Superman's surprisingly prickly self-defensiveness and the couple’s seesaw of friction and attraction are the closest a superhero movie will ever come to Woody Allen’s Husbands and Wives.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 8 July 2025
Investors were concerned by another prickly tariff announcement.
—Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 7 July 2025
Finally, Trump’s own views on NATO – often a prickly subject for the famously transactional president – saw a reversal.
—Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for prickly
Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2025
Lois's professional pride, Clark/Superman's surprisingly prickly self-defensiveness and the couple’s seesaw of friction and attraction are the closest a superhero movie will ever come to Woody Allen’s Husbands and Wives.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 8 July 2025
Investors were concerned by another prickly tariff announcement.
—Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 7 July 2025
Finally, Trump’s own views on NATO – often a prickly subject for the famously transactional president – saw a reversal.
—Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for prickly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prickly
Adjective
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People will likely find this irritating and exasperating, but the friction created will be worth the outcome, consisting of hopefully preventing people from being lulled into thinking the AI is divine.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
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If certain emulsifiers are especially gentle on the gut, the food industry could use them to replace the ones that might be more irritating.—
Yasmin Tayag,
The Atlantic,
25 June 2025
Adjective
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Despite its self-destructive proclivities, the irritable giant has managed to make, and keep, a friend.—
Robin George Andrews,
New York Times,
22 July 2025
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Determined to make a clean SPF, Brown says a chemical formula was out of the question (chemical sunscreens are often thought to be unsafe for the coral reef and irritable to sensitive skin types).—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
9 July 2025
Adjective
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However, women's health tech and privacy is a thorny issue.—
Emily Forlini,
PC Magazine,
11 July 2025
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That said, the negative reputation surrounding the last lines in Jones’ thorny adaptation — a punch-up from Ellison’s original text that’s meaner and more sexist, no doubt — seems outsized.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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Some students may face family challenges that affect their ability to get to school, and some changes to the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness test, such as its move to online instead of paper form, could be difficult for students who only access computers at school, Maldonado said.—
Keri Heath,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
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Diseases that are difficult to manage without early intervention, including diabetes, heart disease and cancer, place a significant burden on health care budgets and patient quality of life.—
Kim Praitano,
Sun Sentinel,
29 July 2025
Adjective
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Alfredo Gutierrez was not just the fiery activist that many remember.—
Joanna Allhands,
AZCentral.com,
1 Aug. 2025
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Mars will bring a fun, fiery vibe to your love life, and with a trine to Uranus in your sign on Aug. 8, expect sparks to fly!—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The vastness of the canyon, with its jagged edges and rushing rivers.—
Shelby Slade,
AZCentral.com,
16 July 2025
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Major stock indexes continued their jagged descent downward in morning trading Tuesday after tumbling Monday.—
Tobias Burns,
The Hill,
9 July 2025
Adjective
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Businesses cannot process sensitive data without obtaining consumer consent.—
Karoline Leonard,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
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There are some intense scenes During The Fantastic Four: First Steps, there are some intense scenes that may not be suitable for younger (or more sensitive) viewers.—
Jordana Comiter,
People.com,
29 July 2025
Adjective
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The effects can be felt right away, says the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), with symptoms including a scratchy throat, coughing, trouble breathing, and chest pain.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
2 Aug. 2025
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Digital techniques could clean up the scratchy sound of great performances from the nineteen-twenties and thirties, putting record companies sometimes in competition with their own backlists.—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
20 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prickly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prickly. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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