thornier; thorniest
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
Hepburn’s thorny performance veers away from her typical sparkling ingenue presence toward something more brittle (watching Holly Golightly restrain herself from cursing out a precocious, irritating child delights).
—
Gráinne O'Hara Belluomo, Footwear News, 26 May 2025
The relationship has long proved thorny due to strained political ties during the latter years of the reign of Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
The thorny issue was re-litigated at a fascinating reunion, where Lyons finally spoke up and asserted herself as the voice of reason — and the matriarch — of the group.
—Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 13 May 2025
What school data show The issue of discipline in education is a thorny one — from preschool to high school — and norms have been changing in recent years, driven in part by data that have illuminated who is suspended.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for thorny
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Gráinne O'Hara Belluomo, Footwear News, 26 May 2025
The relationship has long proved thorny due to strained political ties during the latter years of the reign of Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
The thorny issue was re-litigated at a fascinating reunion, where Lyons finally spoke up and asserted herself as the voice of reason — and the matriarch — of the group.
—Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 13 May 2025
What school data show The issue of discipline in education is a thorny one — from preschool to high school — and norms have been changing in recent years, driven in part by data that have illuminated who is suspended.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for thorny
Cite this Entry
“Thorny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thorny. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
thorny
adjective
thornier; thorniest
1
: full of or covered with thorns
thorny rose bushes
2
: full of difficulties
a thorny problem
thorniness
noun
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