prickly
/ˈprɪkli/
adjective
- Covered with sharp points or thorns.
- She wore gloves to handle the prickly branches of the rose bush.
- The hedgehog's prickly back protects it from predators.
- Be careful when picking up a prickly cactus.
- Causing a stinging or tickling feeling on the skin.
- After shaving, his skin felt prickly and irritated.
- The wool scarf felt prickly against his neck.
- The heat made her sweater feel prickly and uncomfortable.
- Easily annoyed or offended; irritable.
- The boss was in a prickly mood after the meeting went badly.
- She gets prickly when people interrupt her while she's working.
- He's been prickly all morning because he didn't get enough sleep.
- Difficult to deal with or handle; tricky.
- The team faced a prickly problem with the software update.
- The negotiations hit a prickly issue about who would pay for the repairs.
- That's a prickly question that doesn't have an easy answer.