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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
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Recent Examples of thorny
The barriers to interacting with the real world are famously thorny.
—
Alon Goren, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
Feig says that was his nod to the thorny ethics of true crime as a genre.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 2 May 2025
The two committees are responsible for two of the thorniest provisions of the budget bill: Medicaid spending and tax cuts, respectively.
—Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 1 May 2025
Leather should not be used for potting plants in wet soil, while rubber gloves shouldn't be used for trimming a thorny rose bush.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for thorny
Alon Goren, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
Feig says that was his nod to the thorny ethics of true crime as a genre.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 2 May 2025
The two committees are responsible for two of the thorniest provisions of the budget bill: Medicaid spending and tax cuts, respectively.
—Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 1 May 2025
Leather should not be used for potting plants in wet soil, while rubber gloves shouldn't be used for trimming a thorny rose bush.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for thorny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thorny
Adjective
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Grok 3: The wind howled through the jagged spires of the Frostfang Reaches, carrying a chill that bit deeper than any blade, and Ser Willem Cray felt its teeth in his bones.—
Kelsey Piper,
Vox,
12 May 2025
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For the next hour or so, several of them will summit various routes along the cliff's steep, jagged face.—
Sean Clancy,
Arkansas Online,
12 May 2025
Adjective
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Two of Elissa’s tumors were obliterated that day, but the third was too difficult to reach without repositioning Elissa’s body in a way that would have taken too much time under anesthesia.—
Kristen Jordan Shamus,
USA Today,
19 May 2025
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Luca Solca sector head for global luxury goods at Bernstein Clouding the picture further, many other premium Swiss watchmakers including Rolex, Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet, are privately owned, making their performance difficult to decipher.—
Karen Gilchrist,
CNBC,
18 May 2025
Adjective
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Tim Robinson, the former Saturday Night Live writer and performer who now co-stars with Paul Rudd in the prickly cringe comedy Friendship, is probably a genius.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
9 May 2025
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That's far worse than his 7-point deficit in approval on handling immigration (as reported here), demonstrating that public sentiment is especially prickly when economic well-being is on the line.—
Ishai Melamede,
ABC News,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Federal judges have so far been skeptical of the Trump administration’s past efforts to use extraordinary powers to make deportations easier, and that could make suspending habeas corpus even tougher.—
Will Weissert,
Chicago Tribune,
10 May 2025
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Last year’s drought conditions that extended into late fall combined with very windy winter conditions and frozen soils were tough for some evergreens.—
Pamm Cooper,
Hartford Courant,
10 May 2025
Adjective
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The group stops, and the cubs make several scratchy, high-pitched sounds.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2025
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While lots of outdoor rugs are scratchy and rough, this one feels cozy and soft enough to spend time lounging on all summer long.—
Claire Hoppe Norgaard,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Security clearance requirements limit the most sensitive jobs to U.S. citizens.—
Davis Winkie,
USA Today,
19 May 2025
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This question asks for personal sensitive information that is protected by privacy laws.—
Ernesto Londoño,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
Adjective
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This is potentially problematic to some U.S. analysts, given Saudi Arabia and the UAE’s close ties with China.—
Andrew R. Chow,
Time,
14 May 2025
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The president’s high-profile and problematic approach to deportation, while politically popular with his constituency, costs a lot of money.—
Veronique de Rugy,
Twin Cities,
13 May 2025
Adjective
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The plan gets more complicated than that and addresses other issues, but the main point is that the Republican proposal is a dramatic improvement over the current system.—
Matt Fleming,
Oc Register,
10 May 2025
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Clearly the Red Sox misread things here, but with Devers the situation is a little more complicated.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
10 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Thorny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thorny. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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