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Definition of stickleback
stickleback
/ˈstɪk.əl.bæk/
stick · le · back
Plural:sticklebacks
stickleback Lexical Profile
CEFR
C1
Grade
9
Tier
2
Usage
Rare
stickleback Game Scores & Validity
Scrabble US
Scrabble UK
WWF
Wordle Guess
• 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
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 Oct 17, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/stickleback