adjective
- Very irritable.
- usage: "bristly exchanges between the White House and the press"; "he became prickly and spiteful"; "witty and waspish about his colleagues"
- Having or covered with protective barbs or quills or spines or thorns or setae etc..
- usage: "a horse with a short bristly mane"; "bristly shrubs"; "burred fruits"; "setaceous whiskers"
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
| APA | WordNet. (2010). prickly. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/prickly/definitions/1181343 |
| Chicago | WordNet. 2010. "prickly" http://smartdefine.org/prickly/definitions/1181343 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | WordNet 2010, prickly, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/prickly/definitions/1181343>. |
| MLA | WordNet. "prickly" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/prickly/definitions/1181343> |