spiny

[ spahy-nee ]

/ ˈspaɪ ni /

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adjective, spin·i·er, spin·i·est.

abounding in or having spines; thorny, as a plant.

covered with or having sharp-pointed processes, as an animal.

in the form of a spine; resembling a spine; spinelike.

troublesome or difficult to handle; thorny: a spiny problem.

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Origin of spiny

First recorded in 1580–90; spine + -y¹

OTHER WORDS FROM spiny

spin·i·ness, nounnon·spin·y, adjective

Words nearby spiny

spin the platter, spinto, spinule, spin vector, spin wave, spiny, spiny anteater, spiny cocklebur, spiny dogfish, spiny dormouse, spiny-finned

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use spiny in a sentence

The spiny water flea is being studied and monitored in Ontario’s Quetico Provincial Park and Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
A spiky flea could ruin Midwestern ecosystems and kill native fish|By Abi Cole/Outdoor Life|February 17, 2021|Popular Science
When Spiny Norman, the giant hedgehog, goes looking for the Dimsdale brothers in Monty Python.
Craig Ferguson's 10 Favorite Comedy Moments|Craig Ferguson, The Daily Beast Video|May 20, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The rules were fairly lax, and we watched Spiny Norman shouting “Dimsdale!”
Craig Ferguson's 10 Favorite Comedy Moments|Craig Ferguson, The Daily Beast Video|May 20, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Here and there a cactus plant thrust spiny arms into the air.
The Sunbridge Girls at Six Star Ranch|Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter

Acanthopterygian, ak-an-thop-tėr-ij′i-an, adj. having spiny fins.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)|Various
A veritable hail of thunderbolts now crashed down upon the creature's spiny back.
The Myths of the North American Indians|Lewis Spence
The erect flower-stem terminates in a large round head of numerous imbricated oval spiny scales which surround the flowers.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 2|Various
Astragalus, a genus of papilionaceous plants, herbaceous or shrubby, and often spiny.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 2|Various

British Dictionary definitions for spiny

spiny

/ (ˈspaɪnɪ) /

adjective spinier or spiniest

(of animals) having or covered with quills or spines

(of plants) covered with spines; thorny

troublesome to handle; puzzling

shaped like a spine

Derived forms of spiny

spininess, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

spiny

adjective, spin·i·er, spin·i·est.

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Origin of spiny

OTHER WORDS FROM spiny

Words nearby spiny

Words related to spiny

How to use spiny in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for spiny

adjective spinier or spiniest

Derived forms of spiny