thorny
Americanadjective
adjective
-
bearing or covered with thorns
-
difficult or unpleasant
a thorny problem
-
sharp
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of thorny
before 1000; Middle English; Old English thornig. See thorn, -y 1
Explanation
Thorny things are either sharp and spiky, like a thorny briar patch, or troublesome and difficult, like a thorny problem. Either way, they can be painful! When you tackle a thorny rosebush, you'll need thick gloves and sharp pruning shears. When you tackle a thorny issue at work or at school, on the other hand, you might need tools like diplomacy and intelligence. This figurative meaning of thorny is useful for describing especially complex or distressing issues, like a thorny political problem that divides a nation.
Vocabulary lists containing thorny
All The Feels: Touching Words For Textures
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Spelling Practice 1, Unit 5
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Part 2 Vocabulary (Unit 3)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Cali Adeline’s debut novel ‘People Watching in the Desert’ uses the tropes of a breezy summer getaway to explore the thorny, Didion-esque ethics of the stories we tell about others.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Beijing and Tokyo have long had a thorny relationship.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
At the end of the year, the OPEC+ is indeed due to reassess members' quotas based on their ability to produce more, which could become a thorny issue.
From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026
Islamabad's relationship with Washington is significant, but thorny.
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
Almost like one of those flowering plants that's overpowered by a thorny weed.
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
Then it was back to even thornier negotiations in Russia–Ukraine, and Iran.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
If an agreement as superficial as the memorandum of understanding — which deferred thornier issues for late negotiations — was derailed, then there’s little option other than repeated cycles of violence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
The U.S. and Iran struck a preliminary deal earlier this week that broadly calls for a 60-day cease-fire and pushes some of the conflict’s thornier issues, such as Iran’s uranium stockpiles, to further discussions.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 18, 2026
If that deal came together, it would give negotiators more time to reach a final agreement that would tackle thornier issues surrounding sanctions relief and Iran’s nuclear program.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
Little Willie, in the tracts, scarcely dreamed of a thornier path of self-sacrifice.
From Old and New Masters by Lynd, Robert
Fox is in the camp that believes AI will free lawyers from repetitive tasks and let them focus on the thorniest issues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Whether those talks — which were meant to deal with the thorniest issues between the two countries, including the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program — will go ahead remains unclear.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
It defers the thorniest issues to future negotiations.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
One of the thorniest retirement decisions is choosing where to live.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 10, 2026
The Reagan had run afoul of nuclear power’s thorniest problem: radioactive isotopes.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
