thornier; thorniest
1
: full of thorns
2
: full of difficulties or controversial points : ticklish
a thorny problem
thorniness noun

Examples of thorny in a Sentence

stay out of the thorny brambles unless you want a ton of scratches
Recent Examples on the Web Several thorny issues, including funding for the Department of Homeland Security, have yet to be resolved. Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024 That has left patients and doctors to navigate thorny ethical questions on their own. Daniel Gilbert, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 Hours before their final game of the season, the Dartmouth men's basketball team has voted to join a union, becoming the first unionized college sports team in the U.S. and opening many thorny questions about the future of college sports. Andrea Hsu, NPR, 5 Mar. 2024 Itamar’s asking some of the biggest, thorniest questions about politics, activism, allyship, and identity. Rhoda Feng, Vogue, 23 Feb. 2024 Conclusion Difficult, sometimes complex from both a legal and personal perspective, ethical, moral and thorny personal issues arise in common estate planning scenarios. Martin Shenkman, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 The task force’s debates highlighted a thorny push-and-pull between city and county. Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 26 Jan. 2024 That will soon force head coach Nick Nurse to confront some thorny lineup decisions, particularly after what the Sixers did ahead of the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline. Bryan Toporek, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 The thorny issue of trade blocs and subsidies As the host government of COP28, the UAE sharpened the focus on trade as a climate change solution by organizing the first-ever thematic Trade Day and Trade Pavilion in the three decades of annual climate change summit meetings. Dan Esty, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thorny.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of thorny was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near thorny

Cite this Entry

“Thorny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thorny. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

thorny

adjective
thornier; thorniest
1
: full of or covered with thorns
thorny rose bushes
2
: full of difficulties
a thorny problem
thorniness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on thorny

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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