prickly
13
5.7
- adjective
- /ˈprɪkli/
:
susceptible
- I know that my friends can be prickly, but I don't know, give it some time.
- prickly personality
- get prickly
- prickly relationship
That's where people start to get real prickly here.
- That's where people start to get real prickly here.
- And in the absence of that, people get pretty prickly, to say the least.
- You might for example have someone who's texting you all the time and might get real prickly if you don't respond quickly.
- It's very prickly, but actually, like, kind of sweet at the same time.
- In truth, it's just never going to be easy to manage that type of smart, hard charging and frankly prickly people that you find in organizations like this.
- Like maybe your your family life is nuts but your friends are always there for you and your cat shows you unconditional love and they're prickly little special way.
Examples
-
Academics can be prickly about having their work questioned, especially when the critiques occur outside the normal scholarly channels.
Academic text (2016) -
So how do you deal with those prickly types of considerations, Steve?
-
It's very prickly, but actually, like, kind of sweet at the same time.
-
And in the absence of that, people get pretty prickly, to say the least.
-
Why are you so prickly?
-
I hate that he's sort of prickly when you first meet him, but underneath it's really sweet.
-
Slipping into retirement, he was even more absorbed by the delicacies of hierarchical arrangements and prickly about his position.
Academic text (2002) -
Carl can be a bit prickly, but he’s a top notch security man and he happens to like the way -your mind thinks, okay?
-
She was feeling prickly after her coworkers made fun of her new haircut.
-
He has a prickly attitude, especially when people question his decisions.
Synonyms
33
4.9
A person who gets upset by small comments
19
8.2
Acting easily annoyed and impatient about small things
10
6.1
Feel upset easily when people criticize
7
5.6
Easily upset by what others say or do
5
5.9
Quick to feel annoyed or offended by small remarks
5
8.6
Quick to become angry, often at small things
4
4.2
Quick to get angry or easily annoyed
3
9.9
Easily upset or offended by small things
2
9.1
Gets angry easily about small things
1
5.6
Quick to become annoyed or upset
1
9.1
Being easily annoyed and quick to feel offended
1
9.9
Easily upset or hurt by small harmless remarks
1
8.1
Easily annoyed and quick to speak sharply
1
8.1
Being easily annoyed by small things
1
9.9
Easily become angry and say harsh things
1
9.7
Feeling annoyed and in a bad mood
1
8.9
Being rude and getting upset by small things
Easily upset by things people say or do
Being bad-tempered and easily offended
Easily offended and quick to feel hurt by small comments or jokes
Quick to get annoyed and show irritation
Very easily upset by what people say or do
Quick to feel offended and show anger
Quick to speak in a rude or angry way that hurts others
Being a little angry and easily annoyed with people
Antonyms
Compounds
1
4.1
A pear-shaped fruit from a cactus covered in small sharp spines that people eat or use to make drinks
- US
A small pine tree with two needles together, peeling brown bark, and cones with sharp points
- Australian
An Australian tree with leaves that have sharp teeth and thin spikes of white flowers
A wild plant from Europe with prickly stems that often grows in gardens as a weed
- Specialized
A plant with large yellow or white flowers and sharp stems and seed pods
- Specialized
A North American fern with year-round green leathery leaves covered in pale brown scales
- Indian
A leafy green plant with small prickly seeds that people grow for its tender dark leaves used in cooking
How Irritable
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Prickly when used about a person comes from the same prick, which means 'to poke', and a helpful way to remember it is this: a small poke hurts, so a prickly person is quick to feel hurt or annoyed by small things.