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Synonyms

thorny

American  
[thawr-nee] / ˈθɔr ni /

adjective

thornier, thorniest

  1. abounding in or characterized by thorns; spiny; prickly.

  2. thornlike.

  3. overgrown with thorns or brambles.

  4. painful; vexatious.

    a thorny predicament.

  5. full of difficulties, complexities, or controversial points.

    a thorny question.
    Synonyms:
    ticklish, sticky, tough
thorny British  
/ ˈθɔːnɪ /

adjective

  1. bearing or covered with thorns

  2. difficult or unpleasant

    a thorny problem

  3. sharp

"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

Other Word Forms

  • thornily adverb
  • thorniness noun
  • unthorny adjective

Etymology

Origin of thorny

before 1000; Middle English; Old English thornig. See thorn, -y 1

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.

Finally, Dahlia and Mark unpack the thorny and confusing 8-1 decision from the High Court in Chiles v.

From Slate • Apr. 4, 2026

The only certainty is that this problem is a thorny one, and there is plenty of ground to cover over the next few weeks.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Her job responsibilities include helping evaluate a particularly thorny type of investment ubiquitous under private equity: assets insurers buy from investment managers that own or partially control them.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

Creating a data center with mixed servers that collaborate with each other is a thorny problem that Nvidia solved with software called Dynamo.

From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026

It was not as though he was really surprised, thought Harry, as he wrestled with a thorny vine intent upon throttling him; he had had an inkling that this might happen sooner or later.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

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.