1. very irritable - bristly exchanges between the White House and the press - he became prickly and spiteful - witty and waspish about his colleagues • Syn: bristly, prickly, waspish • Similar to: ill-natured • Derivationally related forms: spleen 2. of or relating to the spleen • Syn: splenic, lienal • Pertains to noun: lien (for: lienal), spleen, spleen (for: splenic) • Derivationally related forms: lien (for: lienal), spleen, spleen (for: splenic)