Pugnacious
Pugnacious adjective - Feeling or displaying eagerness to fight.
Usage example: a movie reviewer who is spirited, even pugnacious, when defending her opinions
Prickly and pugnacious are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Prickly" instead an adjective "Pugnacious".
Nearby Word: pugnacity
Prickly
Prickly adjective - Easily irritated or annoyed.
Usage example: she dreaded having to deal with her prickly boss
Pugnacious and prickly are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Pugnacious" instead an adjective "Prickly".
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
Cite this Source
Prickly and Pugnacious. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 29, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/pugnacious/prickly
Pugnacious & Prickly. N.p., 2016. Web. 29 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/pugnacious/prickly>.
Prickly or Pugnacious. 2016. Accessed July 29, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/pugnacious/prickly.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "pugnacious" and "prickly" have occurred on timeline