i Register
In some senses, prickly is marked as figuratively, colloquial. Watch for register when choosing this word.
prickly
adj 3adv 1noun 1
Collocations
5ADJ.
all, beautiful, black, caustic, eloquent, fresh, fried, known
VERB + PRICKLY
add, eat, issue, like, oil, plant, seeds
PRICKLY + NOUN
attitude, bushes, cactus, conundrum, lots, myrtle, pear, pears
PREP.
from, than, with
ADV.
only
Definitions
adj
1
Covered with sharp points.
The prickly pear is a cactus; you have to peel it before eating it to remove the spines and the tough skin.
2
Easily irritated.
He has a prickly personality. He doesn't get along with people because he is easily set off.
3
Difficult; complicated; hairy or thorny.
It was a prickly situation.
People who are prickly can’t be hurt any more. They’ve had it. So we just have to be prickly to make sure nobody’s going to come in and grab us.
adv
1
In a prickly manner.
Striding across stage in his bright white jacket, his voice soaring and cracking – like Charlie Parker’s – he was nervous but prickly eloquent, caustic yet encouraging.
noun
1
Something that gives a pricking sensation; a sharp object.
Below, way out on the flat, Blue had seen a light green that could be graze but up here was nothing 'cept all kinds of prickly bushes, and too many of them. Ground-spreading pricklies that reached out to jump at a horse's belly […]
Dad, I need to ride on your shoulders because the pricklies hurt my feet.
Thesaurus
Idioms & Phrases
Example Bank
601
The prickly pear is a cactus; you have to peel it before eating it to remove the spines and the tough skin.
Wiktionary02
He has a prickly personality. He doesn't get along with people because he is easily set off.
Wiktionary03
It was a prickly situation.
Wiktionary04
Striding across stage in his bright white jacket, his voice soaring and cracking – like Charlie Parker’s – he was nervous but prickly eloquent, caustic yet encouraging.
Wiktionary05
Below, way out on the flat, Blue had seen a light green that could be graze but up here was nothing 'cept all kinds of prickly bushes, and too many of them. Ground-spreading pricklies that reached out
Wiktionary06
Dad, I need to ride on your shoulders because the pricklies hurt my feet.
WiktionaryUsage Notes
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