Something that is prickly feels rough and uncomfortable, as if it has a lot of prickles.
The bunk mattress was hard, the blankets prickly and slightly damp.
The grass was prickly and cold.
Synonyms: spiny, barbed, thorny, bristly More Synonyms of prickly
2. adjective
Someone who is prickly loses their temper or gets upset very easily.
You know how prickly she is.
Synonyms: irritable, edgy, grumpy, touchy More Synonyms of prickly
3. adjective
A prickly issue or subject is one that is rather complicated and difficult to discuss or resolve.
The issue is likely to prove a prickly one.
Synonyms: difficult, complicated, tricky, trying More Synonyms of prickly
More Synonyms of prickly
prickly in British English
(ˈprɪklɪ)
adjectiveWord forms: -lier or -liest
1.
having or covered with prickles
2.
stinging or tingling
3.
bad-tempered or irritable
4.
full of difficulties; knotty
a prickly problem
Derived forms
prickliness (ˈprickliness)
noun
prickly in American English
(ˈprɪkli)
adjectiveWord forms: ˈpricklier or ˈprickliest
1.
full of prickles
2.
stinging; smarting; tingling
Derived forms
prickliness (ˈprickliness)
noun
Examples of 'prickly' in a sentence
prickly
We are all suffering from prickly heat and the insects and the lack of any fresh food.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The army has been accused of double standards on a prickly issue : whether soldiers should be allowed to grow beards.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Over the years their prickly relationship soured.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
You seem to be rather prickly under questioning.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Then there is the prickly issue of insurance.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
But how to survive without prickly pears?
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
We glean no real insight into this prickly character or his music.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
What is the best way to treat prickly heat?
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
He became slightly prickly at this suggestion yesterday.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
When she raises the subject he becomes prickly and defensive.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
But she would have found its stems rather prickly.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
It was a sensible answer to a prickly issue.
The Sun (2013)
Is there a remedy for prickly heat?
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Talk at school turns to the prickly subject of the summer holidays.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The leaves become more prickly with age, so pick them young and chop finely.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Then she was a 21-yearold with a reputation for being difficult and prickly.
The Sun (2014)
The entrepreneur has a prickly relationship with the City.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Previous research has also found it can combat hangovers if you drink the juice of prickly pear before going on a night out.
The Sun (2012)
The brothers' relationship was prickly at times.
Christianity Today (2000)
My doctor told me that it was prickly heat, which rather surprised me.
Wilkinson, Steve M.E. and You - a self-help plan (1988)
He remains notoriously prickly about being photographed or written about, the only exception being when he is plugging a movie.
The Sun (2011)
One of the newer hangover cures on the block, people have in fact been eating prickly pear cactus for hundreds of years.
The Sun (2015)
He found the financial resources to do so, mostly from public funds, and he tackled the inherently prickly problems with drive and commitment.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
In other languages
prickly
British English: prickly ADJECTIVE
Something that is prickly feels rough and uncomfortable, as if it has a lot of prickles.
The bunk mattress was hard, the blankets prickly and slightly damp.
American English: prickly
Brazilian Portuguese: espinhoso
Chinese: 扎人的
European Spanish: espinoso
French: qui gratte
German: kratzig
Italian: che pizzica
Japanese: ちくちくする
Korean: 따끔거리는
European Portuguese: espinhoso
Latin American Spanish: espinoso
All related terms of 'prickly'
prickly ash
a North American rutaceous shrub or small tree, Zanthoxylum americanum, having prickly branches , feathery aromatic leaves, and bark used as a remedy for toothache
prickly heat
Prickly heat is a condition caused by very hot weather , in which your skin becomes hot, uncomfortable , and covered with tiny bumps .
prickly pear
A prickly pear is a kind of cactus that has round fruit with prickles on. The fruit, which you can eat , is also called a prickly pear .
prickly poppy
an annual papaveraceous plant, Argemone mexicana, of tropical America, having prickly stems and leaves and large yellow or white flowers
toothache tree
a North American rutaceous shrub or small tree, Zanthoxylum americanum, having prickly branches, feathery aromatic leaves, and bark used as a remedy for toothache
miliaria
an acute itching eruption of the skin , caused by blockage of the sweat glands
Chinese translation of 'prickly'
prickly
(ˈprɪklɪ)
adj
[plant, fabric, animal]多刺的 (duōcì de)
(= irritable)[person]易怒的 (yì nù de)
1 (adjective)
Definition
having prickles
The grass was prickly and damp.
Synonyms
spiny
low spiny bushes of sage
barbed
The factory was surrounded by barbed wire.
thorny
thorny hawthorn trees
bristly
a plant with bristly pale stems and hairy toothed leaves
brambly
briery
2 (adjective)
Definition
tingling or stinging
a hot prickly feeling at the back of her eyes
Synonyms
itchy
sharp
I felt a sharp pain in my lower back.
smarting
stinging
crawling
pricking
tingling
scratchy
prickling
3 (adjective)
Definition
touchy or irritable
You know how prickly she can be.
Synonyms
irritable
He had been waiting for an hour and was starting to feel irritable.
edgy
She was nervous and edgy, waiting for the phone to ring.
grumpy
I'm always grumpy in the morning.
touchy
He is very touchy about his past.
bad-tempered
a crusty, bad-tempered, ill-humoured character
fractious
The children were predictably fractious.
petulant
He whined like a petulant child.
stroppy (British, slang)
I shall have to get stroppy with them.
cantankerous
You're just a cantankerous so-and-so.
tetchy
You always get tetchy when you're hungry.
ratty (British, New Zealand, informal)
I was beginning to get a bit ratty and fed up.
chippy (informal)
waspish
Her tone was somewhat waspish and abrupt.
shirty (slang, mainly British)
arsey (British, Australian, New Zealand, slang)
peevish
Lack of sleep always made him peevish.
snappish
liverish
By the end, I was liverish and nettled.
pettish
4 (adjective)
The issue is likely to prove a prickly one.
Synonyms
difficult
It was a very difficult decision to make.
complicated
The political situation in this region is very complicated.
tricky
This could be a very tricky problem.
trying
The whole business has been very trying.
involved
The operation can be quite involved, requiring special procedures.
intricate
intricate patterns and motifs
troublesome
The economy has become a troublesome problem for the party.
thorny
the thorny issue of immigration policy
knotty
The new management team faces some knotty problems.
ticklish
the ticklish question of the future of the EU
Additional synonyms
in the sense of bad-tempered
a crusty, bad-tempered, ill-humoured character
Synonyms
irritable,
cross,
angry,
tense,
crabbed,
fiery,
grumbling,
snarling,
prickly,
exasperated,
edgy,
snappy,
sullen,
touchy,
surly,
petulant,
sulky,
ill-tempered,
irascible,
cantankerous,
tetchy,
ratty (British, New Zealand, informal),
tooshie (Australian, slang),
testy,
chippy (informal),
fretful,
grouchy (informal),
querulous,
peevish,
crabby,
huffy,
dyspeptic,
choleric,
splenetic,
crotchety (informal),
oversensitive,
snappish,
ill-humoured,
liverish,
narky (British, slang),
out of humour
in the sense of barbed
The factory was surrounded by barbed wire.
Synonyms
spiked,
pointed,
toothed,
hooked,
notched,
prickly,
jagged,
thorny,
pronged,
spiny,
snaggy
in the sense of bristly
a plant with bristly pale stems and hairy toothed leaves
Synonyms
prickly,
barbed,
thorny,
spiny,
brambly,
briery
Nearby words of
prickly
prick up
prick up your ears
prickle
prickly
pride
pride yourself on something
priest
Synonyms of 'prickly'
prickly
Explore 'prickly' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of cantankerous
Definition
quarrelsome or bad-tempered
You're just a cantankerous so-and-so.
Synonyms
bad-tempered,
contrary,
perverse,
irritable,
crusty,
grumpy,
disagreeable,
cranky (US, Canadian, Irish, informal),
irascible,
tetchy,
ratty (British, New Zealand, informal),
testy,
quarrelsome,
waspish,
grouchy (informal),
arsey (British, Australian, New Zealand, slang),
peevish,
crabby,
choleric,
crotchety (informal),
ill-humoured,
liverish,
captious,
difficult
in the sense of complicated
Definition
difficult to understand or deal with
The political situation in this region is very complicated.
Synonyms
involved,
difficult,
puzzling,
troublesome,
problematic,
perplexing
in the sense of edgy
Definition
nervous, irritable, or anxious
She was nervous and edgy, waiting for the phone to ring.
Synonyms
nervous,
wired (slang),
anxious,
tense,
irritable,
touchy,
uptight (informal),
on edge,
nervy (British, informal),
ill at ease,
restive,
twitchy (informal),
irascible,
tetchy,
chippy (informal),
on tenterhooks,
keyed up,
antsy (informal),
on pins and needles,
adrenalized
in the sense of fractious
Definition
(esp. of children) easily upset and angered, often due to tiredness
The children were predictably fractious.
Synonyms
irritable,
cross,
awkward,
unruly,
touchy,
recalcitrant,
petulant,
tetchy,
ratty (British, New Zealand, informal),
testy,
chippy (informal),
fretful,
grouchy (informal),
querulous,
peevish,
refractory,
crabby,
captious,
froward (archaic),
pettish
in the sense of grumpy
Definition
sulky and bad-tempered
I'm always grumpy in the morning.
Synonyms
irritable,
cross,
bad-tempered,
grumbling,
crabbed,
edgy,
surly,
petulant,
ill-tempered,
cantankerous,
tetchy,
ratty (British, New Zealand, informal),
testy,
grouchy (informal),
querulous,
peevish,
huffy,
crotchety (informal),
liverish,
sullen,
sulky
in the sense of intricate
Definition
full of complicated detail
intricate patterns and motifs
Synonyms
complicated,
involved,
complex,
difficult,
fancy,
sophisticated,
elaborate,
obscure,
tangled,
baroque,
perplexing,
tortuous,
Byzantine,
convoluted,
rococo,
knotty,
labyrinthine,
daedal (literary)
in the sense of involved
Definition
complicated
The operation can be quite involved, requiring special procedures.
Synonyms
complicated,
complex,
intricate,
hard,
difficult,
confused,
confusing,
sophisticated,
elaborate,
tangled,
bewildering,
jumbled,
entangled,
tortuous,
Byzantine,
convoluted,
knotty,
unfathomable,
labyrinthine
in the sense of knotty
Definition
extremely difficult or puzzling
The new management team faces some knotty problems.
Synonyms
puzzling,
hard,
difficult,
complex,
complicated,
tricky,
baffling,
intricate,
troublesome,
perplexing,
mystifying,
thorny,
problematical
in the sense of liverish
Definition
feeling disagreeable and slightly irritable
By the end, I was liverish and nettled.
Synonyms
irritable,
crusty,
snappy,
grumpy,
disagreeable,
irascible,
tetchy,
ratty (British, New Zealand, informal),
peevish,
splenetic,
crotchety (informal),
ill-humoured,
like a bear with a sore head,
fratchy (informal)
in the sense of peevish
Definition
fretful or irritable
Lack of sleep always made him peevish.
Synonyms
irritable,
cross,
crabbed,
childish,
acrimonious,
crusty,
snappy,
grumpy,
sullen,
touchy,
whingeing (informal),
surly,
fractious,
petulant,
churlish,
sulky,
ill-tempered,
cantankerous,
tetchy,
ratty (British, New Zealand, informal),
testy,
chippy (informal),
fretful,
short-tempered,
waspish,
querulous,
huffy,
splenetic,
crotchety (informal),
shrewish,
liverish,
captious,
pettish,
ill-natured
Additional synonyms
in the sense of pettish
Definition
peevish or fretful
Synonyms
peevish,
cross,
irritable,
grumpy,
touchy,
fractious,
petulant,
sulky,
tetchy,
ratty (British, New Zealand, informal),
chippy (informal),
fretful,
thin-skinned,
waspish,
querulous,
huffy,
ill-humoured,
liverish
in the sense of petulant
Definition
unreasonably irritable or peevish
He whined like a petulant child.
Synonyms
sulky,
cross,
moody,
sour,
crabbed,
impatient,
pouting,
perverse,
irritable,
crusty,
sullen,
bad-tempered,
ratty (British, New Zealand, informal),
fretful,
waspish,
querulous,
peevish,
ungracious,
cavilling,
huffy,
fault-finding,
snappish,
ill-humoured,
captious
in the sense of ratty
Definition
cross and irritable
I was beginning to get a bit ratty and fed up.
Synonyms
irritable,
cross,
angry,
annoyed,
pissed (US, Canadian, slang),
crabbed,
impatient,
snappy,
pissed off (taboo, slang),
touchy,
tetchy,
testy,
chippy (informal),
short-tempered,
tooshie (Australian, slang)
in the sense of sharp
Definition
(of pain or cold) acute or biting
I felt a sharp pain in my lower back.
Synonyms
acute,
violent,
severe,
intense,
painful,
shooting,
distressing,
stabbing,
fierce,
stinging,
piercing,
sore,
excruciating,
gut-wrenching
in the sense of stroppy
Definition
bad-tempered or deliberately awkward
I shall have to get stroppy with them.
Synonyms
awkward,
difficult,
obstreperous,
destructive,
perverse,
unhelpful,
cantankerous,
bloody-minded (British, informal),
quarrelsome,
litigious,
uncooperative,
arsey (British, Australian, New Zealand, slang)
in the sense of tetchy
Definition
cross, irritable, or touchy
You always get tetchy when you're hungry.
Synonyms
irritable,
cross,
grumpy,
crabbed,
impatient,
snappy,
sullen,
touchy,
bad-tempered,
petulant,
irascible,
cantankerous,
peppery,
ratty (British, New Zealand, informal),
testy,
quarrelsome,
chippy (informal),
fretful,
short-tempered,
waspish,
peevish,
quick-tempered,
splenetic,
snappish,
liverish,
captious
in the sense of thorny
Definition
covered with thorns
thorny hawthorn trees
Synonyms
prickly,
spiky,
spiny,
pointed,
sharp,
barbed,
bristly,
spinous,
bristling with thorns
in the sense of thorny
Definition
difficult or unpleasant
the thorny issue of immigration policy
Synonyms
troublesome,
difficult,
problematic(al),
trying,
hard,
worrying,
tough,
upsetting,
awkward,
unpleasant,
sticky (informal),
harassing,
irksome,
ticklish,
vexatious
in the sense of ticklish
Definition
delicate or difficult
the ticklish question of the future of the EU
Synonyms
difficult,
sensitive,
delicate,
tricky,
nice,
critical,
uncertain,
awkward,
risky,
unstable,
thorny,
touchy,
unsteady
in the sense of touchy
Definition
easily upset or irritated
He is very touchy about his past.
Synonyms
oversensitive,
irritable,
bad-tempered,
cross,
crabbed,
grumpy,
surly,
petulant,
irascible,
tetchy,
ratty (British, New Zealand, informal),
testy,
chippy (informal),
thin-skinned,
grouchy (informal),
querulous,
peevish,
quick-tempered,
splenetic,
easily offended,
captious,
pettish,
toey (New Zealand, slang)
Additional synonyms
in the sense of tricky
Definition
needing careful handling
This could be a very tricky problem.
Synonyms
difficult,
sensitive,
complicated,
delicate,
risky,
sticky (informal),
hairy (informal),
problematic,
thorny,
touch-and-go,
knotty,
dicey (informal),
ticklish
in the sense of troublesome
Definition
causing trouble
The economy has become a troublesome problem for the party.