prickly
adjective
prick·ly
ˈpri-k(ə-)lē 
pricklier; prickliest
1
: full of or covered with prickles
especially
: distinguished from related kinds by the presence of prickles
3
a
: troublesome, vexatious
prickly issues
b
: easily irritated
had a prickly disposition
prickliness
noun
Examples of prickly in a Sentence
The plant's leaves are prickly.
she tried to ignore the feel of the prickly grass against her skin
Recent Examples on the Web
Inspired by an idea that came to him while dining in a restaurant in Spain a decade ago, Brühl’s prickly film combines a meta examination of movie stardom with a stark critique of rampant gentrification.
—
Marya E. Gates, IndieWire, 4 July 2024
Electric blues, reds and purples of prickly urchins, sea stars and an anemones.
—Outside Online, 26 June 2024
Across two CDs stuffed with searing solos, massive riffs and crack shot drumming, Hood and his bandmates Mike Cooley, Earl Hicks, Rob Malone, and Brad Morgan unpacked the prickly realities of Southern living in all its fascinating and terrible contradictions.
—Corbin Reiff, SPIN, 25 June 2024
Vast mats of prickly brown seaweed float so thickly on the windless surface that Christopher Columbus worried about his ships getting stuck.
—Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 17 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for prickly 
Marya E. Gates, IndieWire, 4 July 2024
Electric blues, reds and purples of prickly urchins, sea stars and an anemones.
—Outside Online, 26 June 2024
Across two CDs stuffed with searing solos, massive riffs and crack shot drumming, Hood and his bandmates Mike Cooley, Earl Hicks, Rob Malone, and Brad Morgan unpacked the prickly realities of Southern living in all its fascinating and terrible contradictions.
—Corbin Reiff, SPIN, 25 June 2024
Vast mats of prickly brown seaweed float so thickly on the windless surface that Christopher Columbus worried about his ships getting stuck.
—Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 17 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for prickly
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prickly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near prickly
Cite this Entry
“Prickly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prickly. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prickly
adjective
prick·ly
ˈprik-lē
-ə-lē
pricklier; prickliest
1
: full of or covered with prickles
prickly plants
2
: marked by slight stinging or tingling
a prickly sensation
prickliness
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share