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thorny

[thawr-nee]
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adjective, thorn·i·er, thorn·i·est.
  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.
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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

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5. tough, sticky, ticklish, perplexing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

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
  1. bearing or covered with thorns
  2. difficult or unpleasanta thorny problem
  3. sharp
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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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper