6
pointed(adjective, keen, sharp, fine, sharpness)
6
scratchy(adjective, itchy, tickly)
6
splenetic(adjective, tough, harsh, awkward, sensitive)
5
contentious(adjective, cross, emotional, vulnerable, touchy)
5
fractious(adjective, cross, sensitive, emotional, vulnerable)
5
keen(adjective, sharp, sharpness)
5
knotty(adjective, thorny, spiky, spiny)
5
rough(adjective, sharpness, roughness, sensation)
5
tingly(adjective, painful, burning, sensation, stinging)
5
troublesome(adjective, burning, thorny, stinging, spiky)
4
aciculate
4
biting(adjective, painful, burning, stinging, tingly)
4
caustic(adjective, irritable, painful, burning, stinging)
4
complicated(adjective, thorny, spiky, spiny)
4
crabbed(adjective, tough, harsh, cross, unpleasant)
4
crabby(adjective, difficult, cross, unpleasant, irritable)
4
crawly(adjective, sensation)
4
cross(adjective, tough, difficult, unpleasant, sensitive)
4
cutting(adjective, sharp, painful)
4
edgy(adjective, nervous, sensitive, tense, touchy)
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APASmart Define. (2016). prickly thesaurus. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from https://smartdefine.org/prickly/thesaurus/synonyms
ChicagoSmart Define. 2016. "prickly thesaurus" https://smartdefine.org/prickly/thesaurus/synonyms (accessed September 21, 2026).
HarvardSmart Define 2016, prickly thesaurus, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <https://smartdefine.org/prickly/thesaurus/synonyms>.
MLASmart Define. "prickly thesaurus" 3 March 2016. Web. 21 September 2026. <https://smartdefine.org/prickly/thesaurus/synonyms>