thorny
Americanadjective
-
bearing or covered with thorns
-
difficult or unpleasant
a thorny problem
-
sharp
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.
But the use of AI in cinema has prompted thorny legal questions over intellectual property and the very notion of authorship, at a time when legislation is only just beginning to grapple with the subject.
From Barron's
While the justices left this thorny issue to be decided by a lower court, Brett Kavanaugh in his dissent warned that the process is likely to be a "mess".
From BBC
No one would call it a thorny financial situation.
From MarketWatch
Unions say the measure would give them needed leverage and remove political pressure from the thorniest contract questions.
From Los Angeles Times
The death comes amid a difficult economic climate in the heavily indebted west African country, where students have protested the thorny issue of stipend arrears for several years.
From Barron's
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.
