thorny

[thawr-nee]

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adjective, thorn·i·er, thorn·i·est.

abounding in or characterized by thorns; spiny; prickly.

thornlike.

overgrown with thorns or brambles.

painful; vexatious: a thorny predicament.

full of difficulties, complexities, or controversial points: a thorny question.

Origin of thorny

before 1000; Middle English; Old English thornig. See thorn, -y¹

Related formsthorn·i·ly, adverbthorn·i·ness, nounun·thorn·y, adjective

Synonyms for thorny

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR thorny ON THESAURUS.COM

5. tough, sticky, ticklish, perplexing.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for thorny

prickly, spiky, tricky, unpleasant, troublesome, perplexing, awkward, sticky, bothersome, ticklish, nettlesome, irksome, barbed, bristly, thistly, spiny, bristling, spinous, baffling, formidable

British Dictionary definitions for thorny

thorny

adjective thornier or thorniest

bearing or covered with thorns

difficult or unpleasanta thorny problem

sharp

Derived Formsthornily, adverbthorniness, 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

Word Origin and History for thorny

adj.

Old English þornig; see thorn + -y (2). Figurative sense is attested from mid-14c. Related: Thorniness.