What does "stickle" mean?
A sharp point; prickle; a spine
Stickle
adj, name, noun, verb
adj, name, noun, verb ·2 syllables ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A sharp point; prickle; a spine
- Grammar: stickle is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abrupt, arduous, back down, balance.
- Usage evidence: He swam through the plying poles of the stickle, and ran over the shallow, reaching safe water before the pack came down. He was young and fast and strong.
How to use "stickle"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "stickle" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "stickle" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "stickle" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "stickle" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "stickle" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abrupt" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "stickle", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A sharp point; prickle; a spine
- 2 A shallow rapid in a river. British, dialectal
"He swam through the plying poles of the stickle, and ran over the shallow, reaching safe water before the pack came down. He was young and fast and strong."
- 3 The current below a waterfall. British, dialectal
"[P]atient Anglers ſtanding all the day / Neere to ſome ſhallovv ſtickle or deepe bay."
Verb
- 1 To act as referee or arbiter; to mediate. British, dialectal, obsolete
- 2 dispute or argue stubbornly (especially minor points) wordnet
- 3 To argue or struggle for. British, archaic, dialectal
"‘She has other people than poor little you to think about, and has gone abroad with them; so you needn’t be in the least afraid she’ll stickle this time for her rights.’"
- 4 To raise objections; to argue stubbornly, especially over minor or trivial matters. British, dialectal
"Miserable new Berline! Why could not Royalty go in some old Berline similar to that of other men? Flying for life, one does not stickle about his vehicle."
- 5 To separate, as combatants; hence, to quiet, to appease, as disputants. British, dialectal, obsolete, transitive
"Which [question] violently they pursue, / Nor stickled would they be."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 To intervene in; to stop, or put an end to, by intervening. British, dialectal, obsolete, transitive
"They ran to him, and, pulling him back by force, stickled that unnatural fray."
- 7 To separate combatants by intervening. British, dialectal, intransitive, obsolete
"When he [the angel] sees half of the Christians are already killed, and all the rest in a fair way to be routed, [he]stickles betwixt the remainders of God’s host, and the race of fiends."
- 8 To contend, contest, or altercate, especially in a pertinacious manner on insufficient grounds. British, dialectal, intransitive, obsolete
"Fortune, as she’s wont, turned fickle, / And for the foe began to stickle."
Adjective
- 1 Steep; high; inaccessible.
- 2 High, as the water of a river; swollen; sweeping; rapid. UK, dialectal
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"He swam through the plying poles of the stickle, and ran over the shallow, reaching safe water before the pack came down. He was young and fast and strong."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "stickle"?
Common synonyms include: abrupt, arduous, back down, balance, balk, blench.
How do you use "stickle" in a sentence?
He swam through the plying poles of the stickle, and ran over the shallow, reaching safe water before the pack came down. He was young and fast and strong.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English *stikel, *stykyl (in compounds), from Old English sticel (“a prickle, sting, goad”), from Proto-Germanic *stiklaz, *stikilaz (“sting, stinger, peak, cup, goblet”), related to the verb *stikaną (“to stick”). Cognate with Dutch stekel, Icelandic stikill, Gothic 𐍃𐍄𐌹𐌺𐌻𐍃 (stikls) (whence Russian стекло́ (stekló, “glass”), Polish szkło (“glass”), Lithuanian sti̇̀klas, Romanian sticlă).
Etymology 2
From Middle English stikel, from Old English sticel, sticol (“high, lofty, steep, reaching great heights, inaccessible”), from Proto-Germanic *stikulaz, *stikkulaz (“high, steep”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teyg- (“to stick; peak”).
Etymology 3
From a variant of stightle (“to order, arrange, direct”), from Middle English stightelen, stiȝtlen, stihilen, stihlen, equivalent to stight (“to order, rule, govern”) + -le (frequentative suffix). For the development of /təl/ to /kəl/, compare huckleberry and dialectal turkle (“turtle”).
Etymology 4
From the German surname, Americanized from Stickel.