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Definition of stickleback

stickleback

/ˈstɪk.əl.bæk/
stick · le · back
Plural:sticklebacks
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stickleback Lexical Profile

stickleback Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

Any of various small, mostly scaleless fishes of the family Gasterosteidae, native to fresh, brackish, and coastal marine waters of the Northern Hemisphere, uniquely characterized by a row of sharp, isolated dorsal spines.

Example

"In his famous behavioral experiments, Niko Tinbergen observed that the male three-spined stickleback would aggressively attack anything displaying a red underside."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for stickleback

• Rhymes for stickleback

• Nearby Words

sticker
stickily
stickiness
stickleback
stickler
sticklike
stickman

Word Origin & Etymology

From Middle English 'stikelbak', combining 'stikel' (prickle or sting, derived from Old English 'sticel') and 'bak' (back), directly referencing the sharp, isolated spines on the fish's dorsal side.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Stickleback. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 6, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/stickleback
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