thorny
Americanadjective
-
thornier,
comparative
-
thorniest
superlative
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
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Spelling Practice 1, Unit 5
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Part 2 Vocabulary (Unit 3)
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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:
During US President Donald Trump's first administration, he even wrote about thorny topics such as the spread of misinformation on his platforms, external.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
If you haven’t been following the controversy, Wilson felt that Nolan had flattened the saga by mostly erasing the Greek gods and Odysseus’ wit, lust and thorny contradictions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
And then having a new build where it is, down the road from their current ground, deals with the potentially thorny problem about where United would play if Old Trafford was closed for a period.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
But the question of who gets paid or has permission to develop this new reading superpower is a thorny one.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Finally, there’s the thorny question of the role of war in forager societies.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
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. is unlikely to reduce these much unless it gains ground on thornier issues, especially with Canada on lumber or dairy, says Owen Tedford, an analyst at Beacon Policy Advisors.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
The U.S. and Iran struck a preliminary peace deal last week that broadly calls for a 60-day cease-fire and punted some of the conflict’s thornier issues, such as Iran’s uranium stockpiles.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
And a culture of callouts, scandals, and fear may prevent media and publishing from wrestling with much thornier questions of authorship.
From Slate ● Apr. 17, 2026
Little Willie, in the tracts, scarcely dreamed of a thornier path of self-sacrifice.
From Old and New Masters by Robert Lynd
But negotiations on some of the thorniest issues - including Iran's nuclear programme - will be deferred for 60 days, raising questions about how long this agreement will last.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
“What the 60-day window is actually for is ironing out the thorniest details,” Henrietta Treyz, director of economic policy at Veda Partners, wrote in a note.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026
The chapter on fisheries, expected to be the thorniest as Iceland is intent on retaining control over its resources, had not been opened.
From Barron's ● Mar. 6, 2026
Unions say the measure would give them needed leverage and remove political pressure from the thorniest contract questions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 11, 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.
