prick ‧ ly /ˈprɪkli/ BrE AmE adjective
1 . covered with thin sharp points:
a plant with prickly leaves
2 . if your skin feels prickly, it stings slightly:
His skin felt painful and prickly.
The base of my neck was prickly with sweat.
3 . something that is prickly makes your skin sting slightly:
a prickly woollen sweater
4 . informal someone who is prickly gets annoyed or offended easily:
She was prickly and sharp with me.
As she got older, she became more prickly and forgetful.
5 . a prickly subject causes a lot of disagreements and difficulties:
We finally turned to the prickly question of who was going to pay.
—prickliness noun [uncountable]
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THESAURUS
▪ sharp having a very thin edge or point that can cut things easily:
a sharp knife
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The dog’s teeth were very sharp.
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Be careful. That knife’s very sharp.
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You’ll need some sharp scissors.
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Puppies mean to be playful, but their sharp teeth can give you a nasty bite.
▪ jagged having an irregular edge with a lot of sharp points:
a jagged rock
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The floor was covered with jagged pieces of glass.
▪ spiky having a lot of thin sharp points:
a spiky cactus plant
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The hedgehog uses its spiky fur for protection.
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Some corals are quite smooth, others are sharp and spiky.
▪ prickly covered in a lot of small sharp points – used mainly about plants:
a prickly bush
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prickly leaves
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The hedge was all prickly.
▪ serrated a serrated edge on a saw or knife has a lot of sharp points on it:
It’s best to use a knife with a serrated edge.
▪ razor-sharp extremely sharp:
The cat had razor-sharp claws.