thorny

adjective

ˈthȯr-nē 

thornier; thorniest

1

: full of thorns

2

: full of difficulties or controversial points : ticklish

a thorny problem

thorniness noun

Synonyms

• brambly
• prickly
• scratchy
• thistly

Examples of thorny in a Sentence

stay out of the thorny brambles unless you want a ton of scratches

Recent Examples on the Web

But the thorniest issue heading into the new year likely involves Musk, who has been a fixture at President-elect Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida since the election. —Hayden Field, CNBC, 20 Dec. 2024

Eating-disorder content has been one of the thorniest content-moderation issues since the beginning of the social web. —Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2024

Texas has vowed to pursue these cases regardless of those laws, and legal experts are divided on where the courts may land on this issue, which involves extraterritoriality, interstate commerce and other thorny legal questions last meaningfully addressed before the Civil War. —Eleanor Klibanoff, Them, 16 Dec. 2024

The problem, as is so often the case, is the thorny question of what comes next. —Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

thorny

adjective

ˈthȯr-nē 

thornier; thorniest

1

: full of or covered with thorns

thorny rose bushes

2

: full of difficulties

a thorny problem

thorniness noun