Meaning

(literally) Having thorns or spines..

Definitions by Sense

1. (literally) Having thorns or spines.
2. Troublesome or vexatious.
3. Aloof and irritable.

Example Sentences

Tara flour is one of two products made from the seed pods of a thorny shrub native to Peru. One of those, tara gum, has been used safely for years as a thickening agent or stabilizer in human foods.

thorny issues

the steep and thorny way to heaven

Westcott doesn’t even consider the thornier question of fan fiction based on real and often living people, for instance, the “bandslash” or “bandfic” phenomenon built around rock-star characters and often homoerotic subplots.

Six weeks into the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the thorniest issues surrounding the pact remain unresolved.

Museums have recently begun to confront the same thorny question, with several issuing public apologies for collecting the remains of people believed or known to have been enslaved.

Station capacity in London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam remains a thorny issue, as does obtaining suitable Channel Tunnel-compliant trains.

Mr. [Jake] Sullivan noted that turning away from thorny global issues like climate change would not stop them from posing a threat to the United States, and the world.

Word Forms

• thornier
• thorniest

Synonyms for thorny

Related Words

When Should You Use Thorny?

Use thorny when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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