spiky
adjective
\ ˈspī-kē
\
\
variants:
or less commonly spikey
spikier;
spikiest
Definition of spiky
1
: of, relating to, or characterized by spikes
spiky barbed wire
2
: sharply irritating or acerbic (as in temper or manner)
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Other Words from spiky
spikily
\ ˈspī-kə-lē
\
adverb
\
adverb
spikiness
\ ˈspī-kē-nəs
\
noun
\
noun
Examples of spiky in a Sentence
a plant with spiky leaves
He has a spiky personality.
Recent Examples on the Web
But their initially spiky dynamic quickly becomes the movie’s narrative thrust and emotional center. — Los Angeles Times, "Review: ‘Give Me Liberty’ is a brilliant madcap farce on wheels," 29 Aug. 2019 In the main, spiky ideas—as well as people—slide backwards and forwards between Georgia and the world with an ease that would astound a Soviet time-traveller. — The Economist, "A culture clash in the Caucasus," 29 Aug. 2019 Ebola infiltrates its victims’ cells using spiky proteins on the virus’s outer shell, so researchers screened the antibodies for the ones that did the best job of binding to those proteins. — Megan Molteni, WIRED, "Ebola Is Now Curable. Here’s How the New Treatments Work," 12 Aug. 2019 This variation was meant to evoke the jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker (whose nickname was Bird), as well as otherworldly percussion and harmonically spiky string writing. — Allan Kozinn, BostonGlobe.com, "Michael Colgrass, composer who transcended genres, dies at 87," 10 July 2019 The game takes a more low-tech approach to bypassing deck construction, throwing players straight into a battle of cunning, cleverness, and giant spiky demons. — Owen Duffy, Ars Technica, "Sorcerer’s greatest trick? Shrinking a CCG experience into a single box," 22 June 2019 Strange aquatic creatures were in jars alongside bewitching floral centerpieces of elegant, drooping flora and spiky gourds (arrangements were provided by Isa Isa) and on-trend ceramic plates. — Max Berlinger, Los Angeles Times, "Eckhaus Latta fetes Ugg collaboration with foraged food and sweeping L.A. views," 15 Aug. 2019 Bryanboy with his short, spiky style; and the list went on. — Diana Tsui, The Cut, "I Joined the Cool Blonde Asian Club," 2 Apr. 2018 Some examples were even more dramatic: Water fleas exposed to the scent of a predator have offspring with spiky, armored heads. — Andrew Curry, Science | AAAS, "Parents’ emotional trauma may change their children’s biology. Studies in mice show how," 18 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'spiky.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for spiky
spiky
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of spiky
: having sharp points : formed into points
British, informal
: tending to become angry or annoyed easily
See the full definition for spiky in the English Language Learners Dictionary