Tickly describes a light, tingling sensation that makes you want to scratch or giggle. When a feather brushes against your arm or a tag in your shirt rubs your neck, that irritating, almost itchy feeling is tickly. A woolly sweater might feel tickly against bare skin, or grass might feel tickly on your feet when you walk barefoot across a lawn.

The word captures that particular sensation that's not quite an itch and not quite a tickle, but something in between. You might describe a fuzzy caterpillar as tickly when it crawls across your hand, or complain that your new scarf is too tickly to wear comfortably. Some people are more sensitive to tickly sensations than others: what feels perfectly fine to one person might drive someone else crazy with that persistent, tingly discomfort.

The word can also describe a scratchy feeling in your throat, like when you're getting a cold and your throat feels tickly and makes you want to cough.