THORNY Synonyms: 63 Similar and Opposite Words

thorny

adjective

ˈthȯr-nē

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 Justice Amy Coney Barrett raised the potentially thorny prospect of states allowing voters to recall -- or, change -- their ballots once mailed. —

Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026 Merit filed for bankruptcy last July and became embroiled in a thorny legal dispute with a former broadcasting business partner. —

Uwa Ede-Osifo, Dallas Morning News, 21 Mar. 2026 But this is so thorny and complicated when human beings are at the other end of these really complex nuclear issues and military issues. —

CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026 This is not the first time a Cabinet secretary’s relative has created thorny ethical issues. —

Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 18 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for thorny

Recent Examples of Synonyms for thorny

Adjective

But in the early 19th century, mathematicians started to encounter phenomena — infinite sums and strange, jagged curves, for instance — that defied their intuition for what was possible.

— Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 25 Mar. 2026
Photos and video show the explorers squeezing through jagged crevices deep inside the karsts, using flashlights to guide them further along an otherwise pitch-black maze of rocky burrows.

— Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026