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
Asked about the thorny approval process of the village's first affordable housing development, Haller commended the board of appeals' thoughtfulness in weighing neighborhood resistance with village ordinances and priorities.
—
Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2024
War, labor strikes and a thorny political season made scant inroads at the 2024 Academy Awards, where branding trumped protest and jeweled ornaments far outnumbered cease-fire pins.
—Guy Trebay, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024
Gustaf – Package Pt. 2 Royal Mountain Records New York no-wave group Gustaf use their rowdy, thorny songs to poke and prod the irritating and ridiculous questions about being a sentient invasive species on this spinning globe.
—Margaret Farrell, SPIN, 4 Apr. 2024
Complicated to fabricate and install (the office of Frank Gehry, architect of Disney Hall next door, helped solve some of the thorny design issues), the exterior’s white surfaces seem to magnetize urban grime and are not easy to keep clean.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Wilfong's thorny relationship with code compliance started around 2019.
—The Arizona Republic, 25 Mar. 2024
European governments dutifully buy American weapons and are accustomed to having to make concessions on thorny policy issues, such as export controls on technology sales to China.
—Max Bergmann, Foreign Affairs, 21 Mar. 2024
But like with any thorny issue surrounding online speech, there is the First Amendment to contend with.
—Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 21 Mar. 2024
If just stems that sprout from below the soil are thorny, these are growing from the root stock and should be cut back to the soil surface.
—Melinda Myers, Journal Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2024
Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2024
War, labor strikes and a thorny political season made scant inroads at the 2024 Academy Awards, where branding trumped protest and jeweled ornaments far outnumbered cease-fire pins.
—Guy Trebay, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024
Gustaf – Package Pt. 2 Royal Mountain Records New York no-wave group Gustaf use their rowdy, thorny songs to poke and prod the irritating and ridiculous questions about being a sentient invasive species on this spinning globe.
—Margaret Farrell, SPIN, 4 Apr. 2024
Complicated to fabricate and install (the office of Frank Gehry, architect of Disney Hall next door, helped solve some of the thorny design issues), the exterior’s white surfaces seem to magnetize urban grime and are not easy to keep clean.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Wilfong's thorny relationship with code compliance started around 2019.
—The Arizona Republic, 25 Mar. 2024
European governments dutifully buy American weapons and are accustomed to having to make concessions on thorny policy issues, such as export controls on technology sales to China.
—Max Bergmann, Foreign Affairs, 21 Mar. 2024
But like with any thorny issue surrounding online speech, there is the First Amendment to contend with.
—Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 21 Mar. 2024
If just stems that sprout from below the soil are thorny, these are growing from the root stock and should be cut back to the soil surface.
—Melinda Myers, Journal Sentinel, 22 Mar. 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 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
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
Nglish: Translation of thorny for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of thorny for Arabic Speakers
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