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thorny

[ thawr-nee ]
/ ˈθɔr ni /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR thorny ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

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RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

  1. thorndike, edward lee,
  2. thorndike, lynn,
  3. thornhill,
  4. thornton,
  5. thornton, william,
  6. thoro,
  7. thorold,
  8. thoron,
  9. thorough,
  10. thorough bass

Origin of thorny

before 1000; Middle English; Old English thornig. See thorn, -y1
Related formsthorn·i·ly, adverbthorn·i·ness, nounun·thorn·y, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for thorny

thorny

/ (ˈθɔːnɪ) /

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

thorny

adj.

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

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper