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
Examples of prickly in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The victim is not a beloved actor or prickly acquaintance like in Seasons 2 and 3, but a close friend of one of the main trio, like Tim Kono (Julian Cihi) back in Season 1.
—
Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2024
The prickly relationship between Suzie and her prickly, passive-aggressive mother-in-law, Noriko (actor, singer, woodcut artist Judy Ongg, quite wonderful) is intentionally frustrating and beautifully played.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2024
But the looming question of how NATO members will deal with the prickly question of Ukraine membership in the alliance is now overshadowed by anticipation of Mr. Biden’s formal press conference – his first since November 2022 – at the end of the summit Thursday afternoon.
—Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 July 2024
An example the authors use are desert raisins, which are berries grown on prickly bushes native to Australia.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 1 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for prickly 
Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2024
The prickly relationship between Suzie and her prickly, passive-aggressive mother-in-law, Noriko (actor, singer, woodcut artist Judy Ongg, quite wonderful) is intentionally frustrating and beautifully played.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2024
But the looming question of how NATO members will deal with the prickly question of Ukraine membership in the alliance is now overshadowed by anticipation of Mr. Biden’s formal press conference – his first since November 2022 – at the end of the summit Thursday afternoon.
—Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 July 2024
An example the authors use are desert raisins, which are berries grown on prickly bushes native to Australia.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 1 Aug. 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.
Thesaurus Entries Near prickly
Cite this Entry
“Prickly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prickly. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share