thistly C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈθɪsli/ UK /ˈθɪsli/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj full of or resembling thistles; prickly They picked their way across the thistly meadow toward the brook. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · full of or resembling... pricklythornyspinybristlyspiky ↔ Opposites smooth Word family Related forms thistlethistledown Etymology AI details From thistle (Old English thistel) + the adjectival suffix -y, from Proto-Germanic *thistilaz. thistel Old English *thistilaz Proto-Germanic View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # thistly **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈθɪsli/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈθɪsli/ ## Meanings 1. full of or resembling thistles; prickly ## Examples - They picked their way across the thistly meadow toward the brook. ## Synonyms - prickly - thorny - spiny - bristly - spiky ## Antonyms - smooth ## Related Forms - thistle - thistledown ## Roots and Affixes - Root: thistel - Root: *thistilaz ## Etymology From thistle (Old English thistel) + the adjectival suffix -y, from Proto-Germanic *thistilaz. ## AI Etymology Thistly is from thistle (Old English thistel) + the adjectival suffix -y, from Proto-Germanic *thistilaz. Important recorded forms include thistel (Old English) and *thistilaz (Proto-Germanic). Morphologically, the -ly ending turns the base adjective or participial form into an adverbial manner word, or preserves an older adjectival pattern where the part of speech allows it. The modern sense continues the older lexical line without requiring a separate origin. In current use it covers full of or resembling thistles; prickly. The wider family includes related words such as thistle and thistledown. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown