THORNY Synonyms: 63 Similar and Opposite Words

thorny

adjective

ˈthȯr-nē

Definition of thorny

as in jagged

having leaves or branches which are likely to cause a scratch stay out of the thorny brambles unless you want a ton of scratches

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in difficult

requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling the candidate tried to avoid discussing his views on the thorny issue

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of thorny Data centers and their demands on power, land and water have become thorny political issues and are largely unpopular with the public. — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 11 Aug. 2026 How much bigger is a thornier question that remains open today, but Erdős was the first person to make significant progress on it. — Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 10 Aug. 2026 With these headwinds in sight, the success of Myspace hinges on some key factors, including attracting advertisers, sustaining user interest, and dodging a thorny regulatory environment. — Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 9 Aug. 2026 And Lane, who delights in thorny ethical questions, doesn’t skimp on the implications of his freedom. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 30 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for thorny

Recent Examples of Synonyms for thorny

Adjective

The man’s skull had broken in 61 separate places, and another 60 jagged bits of bone were distributed across his ribs.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 17 Aug. 2026
Arctic dreams Russian President Vladimir Putin has long envisioned the 3,500-mile route along Russia’s jagged Arctic coastline becoming a major artery for trade – and a driver of investment in Russian ports and oil and gas fields.

— Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of jagged

Adjective

The shortcomings of Usman and Dvalishvili, future Hall of Famers, only point to how difficult the historic mark was to reach.

— Mark Puleo, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
The Teamsters have been enthusiastically endorsing the bill specifically because, while 40-something employers would be difficult to collectively bargain against, DSP workers would be much easier to organize once within Amazon.

— Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of difficult

Adjective

Santa Cruz teen lifeguard Ryder Williams got a close-up view of the president’s prickly relationship with the press during a White House visit Monday.

— Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2026
The California Native Plant Society says the prickly bunchgrass’ stalks grow up to 3 feet.

— Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of prickly

Adjective

With men on first and third and nobody out that inning, second baseman Jackson Holliday fielded a tough grounder and threw to second, but shortstop Gunnar Henderson dropped the ball for an error and everyone was safe.

— CBS News, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
As for footwear sales in the region, the second quarter saw a slowdown of sales of high-heat product, alongside tougher comparatives and ongoing softness in end-of-cycle footwear product lines.

— Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of tough

Adjective

Batteries can store electricity, but extreme cold can threaten sensitive electronics and other critical hardware.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026
There are several hundred stars that closely orbit this giant black hole and are sensitive to its gravity.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of sensitive

Adjective

Animal-rights groups have been problematic at times with the zoos.

— Katie Campione, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026
Instagram users have always been able to block others — and, along with Meta’s oldest crown jewel, Facebook — the app has gradually added features for reporting problematic accounts and inappropriate content.

— Wyatte Grantham-Philips, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of problematic

Adjective

There’s a recent example of how complicated that can be in practice.

— Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
Finding the balance between preserving clubhouse culture and throwing future pieces into the fire remains complicated, even as the team dropped to 60-65 following Saturday’s 5-4 walk-off loss to the New York Mets.

— Spencer Nusbaum, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of complicated

Browse Nearby Words

thorns

thorny

thorough

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Thorny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thorny. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of thorny

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on thorny

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

august

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes