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
The large, thorny design ran across her midriff, then disappeared into her bikini bottom.
—
Charles Bethea, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024
The film series, which involves ghosts haunting an all-girls high school, tackles thorny issues like teacher-student abuse, teen suicide and homophobia.
—Regina Kim, Forbes, 21 Sep. 2024
Whoever moves into the White House in January would do well to remember that these thorny and deeply rooted afflictions won’t be solved through accords orchestrated by an outside power.
—Frederic Wehrey, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2024
The actor came up with the villain’s incredible backstory as a victim of slavery and that thorny concept is what continues to intrigue audiences to this day.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for thorny 
Charles Bethea, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024
The film series, which involves ghosts haunting an all-girls high school, tackles thorny issues like teacher-student abuse, teen suicide and homophobia.
—Regina Kim, Forbes, 21 Sep. 2024
Whoever moves into the White House in January would do well to remember that these thorny and deeply rooted afflictions won’t be solved through accords orchestrated by an outside power.
—Frederic Wehrey, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2024
The actor came up with the villain’s incredible backstory as a victim of slavery and that thorny concept is what continues to intrigue audiences to this day.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for thorny
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.
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Cite this Entry
“Thorny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thorny. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.
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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