prickly

English

Etymology

From prickle +‎ -y.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

prickly (comparative pricklier, superlative prickliest)

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. (figurative) Easily irritated.

   He has a prickly personality. He doesn't get along with people because he is easily set off.

3. (figurative) Difficult; complicated; hairy or thorny.

   It was a prickly situation.

   • 2021 March 27, Simon Hattenstone, quoting Charlotte Rampling, “Charlotte Rampling: ‘I am prickly. People who are prickly can’t be hurt any more’”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     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.

Synonyms

• (covered with sharp points): thorny, spiny

Derived terms

• prickly ash
• prickly chaff flower
• prickly comfrey
• prickly glasswort
• prickly hakea
• prickly heat
• prickly hornwort
• prickly lettuce
• prickly nightshade
• prickly oak
• prickly pear
• prickly pear cactus
• prickly pine
• prickly poison
• prickly poppy
• prickly saltwort
• prickly sculpin
• prickly-seeded spinach
• prickly shark
• prickly shield fern
• prickly tang
• prickly thrift
• western prickly juniper

 

Translations

covered with sharp points

• Bulgarian: бодлив (bg) (bodliv), трънлив (bg) (trǎnliv)
• Catalan: espinós (ca)
• Czech: pichlavý (cs)
• French: épineux (fr)
• German: stachelig (de), dornig (de), Stachel- (de)
• Greek: αγκαθερός (el) (agkatherós)

  Ancient: ἀκάνθινος (akánthinos)

• Latin: spinifer
• Maori: tōtara, pūtiotio, korotiotio, tiotio, koikoi, kōtaratara, tuatete
• Portuguese: espinhoso (pt)
• Quechua: t'uksi
• Romanian: țepos (ro), ghimpos (ro), spinos (ro)
• Russian: колю́чий (ru) (koljúčij)
• Scottish Gaelic: deilgneach, droighneach
• Sicilian: spinusu, spinatu
• Spanish: espinoso (es), espinudo (es), con espinas
• Swedish: taggig (sv)

easily irritated

• Bulgarian: обидчив (bg) (obidčiv)
• Catalan: malhumorós
• French: irritable (fr), irascible (fr)
• German: reizbar (de), gereizt (de), kratzbürstig (de) (informal)
• Greek: αγκαθερός (el) (agkatherós)
• Irish: drisíneach
• Italian: permaloso (it) m, suscettibile (it)
• Portuguese: irritadiço (pt)
• Romanian: iritabil (ro), irascibil (ro), supărăcios (ro)
• Sicilian: siḍḍijatu, gnestu (scn)
• Spanish: irritable (es), malhumorado (es)
• Swedish: taggig (sv)

difficult, hairy

• Bulgarian: щекотлив (bg) (štekotliv)
• German: heikel (de), kratzbürstig (de) (informal)
• Romanian: dificil (ro)
• Sicilian: ntricatu
• Spanish: espinoso (es), difícil (es), peliagudo (es)

See also

• prick

Adverb

prickly (comparative more prickly, superlative most prickly)

1. In a prickly manner.
   • 2016 March 3, David Thomson, The Guardian‎^[2]:

     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

prickly (plural pricklies)

1. (colloquial) Something that gives a pricking sensation; a sharp object.
   • 2002, William A. Luckey, Long Ride to Nowhere, page 75:

     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 […]

   • 2016, Richard J. Sklba, Joseph Juknialis, Easter Fire: Fire Starters for the Easter Weekday Homily, page 113:

     Dad, I need to ride on your shoulders because the pricklies hurt my feet.

Derived terms

• cold prickly