as in difficult
requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling
this promises to be a spiny problem to negotiate
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spiny
Keep your gooseberry shrub well-watered, and be sure to prune it—some varieties of this shrub have fairly spiny branches that can make harvesting berries uncomfortable without gloves.
—
Alexandra Kelly,
Martha Stewart,
27 Apr. 2026
The plant is easily identified by its rampant growth in the spring and its spiny globular fruit.
—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
16 Apr. 2026
In late November, the annual Anegada Lobster Festival takes the island's year-round lobster love and turns it into an obsession, with local restaurants featuring special dishes and plenty of events making the spiny Anegada lobster the star of the show.
—
Carley Rojas Avila,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Apr. 2026
The Cleveland Botanical Garden's Glasshouse spotlights plants, insects, birds, and more from the spiny desert of Madagascar and the rainforest of Costa Rica.
—
Ashlyn Ware,
Midwest Living,
9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spiny
Alexandra Kelly,
Martha Stewart,
27 Apr. 2026
The plant is easily identified by its rampant growth in the spring and its spiny globular fruit.
—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
16 Apr. 2026
In late November, the annual Anegada Lobster Festival takes the island's year-round lobster love and turns it into an obsession, with local restaurants featuring special dishes and plenty of events making the spiny Anegada lobster the star of the show.
—
Carley Rojas Avila,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Apr. 2026
The Cleveland Botanical Garden's Glasshouse spotlights plants, insects, birds, and more from the spiny desert of Madagascar and the rainforest of Costa Rica.
—
Ashlyn Ware,
Midwest Living,
9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spiny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiny
Adjective
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Aviation experts said those conditions would have been difficult to navigate that evening when the helicopter, a Robinson R66, crashed in the Dawson Forest Wildlife Management Area.
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But traffic on the waterway remains a fraction of pre-war levels with different authorities vying to organize the transit of vessels, leaving operators with a difficult choice over which path to take.
Adjective
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Summer 2026 is having a tough time deciding on this season’s dominating nail trend.
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These are typically low-wage jobs that the healthcare industry writ large has had a tough time recruiting for since the pandemic.
Adjective
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The process is meant to mitigate the chance of any sensitive instruments being damaged, Katalyst said in a press release.
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Mars activates your 8th House of Intimacy and Shared Resources, motivating you to tackle sensitive matters with courage and protect what truly matters.
Adjective
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The ambitious series will debut new episodes later this year, making this the perfect time to prop up your hairy feet and marathon the first two seasons.
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The threat that these hairy tanks (some can weigh over 1,500 pounds) pose to drivers is so great that Volvo, a brand synonymous with safety, built their own life-sized rubber replica.
Adjective
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The shiny, non-sticky formula is infused with a hyaluronic acid complex, mango seed butter, and fruit extracts to keep lips feeling comfortable.
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Use yellow sticky traps to monitor.
Adjective
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This case largely skirts around thorny issues regarding whether a state might have jurisdiction over a federal project, instead alleging that the federal government is breaking its own rules.
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Hatcher — a Pomo shape-shifter who dodges prejudice by passing as Mexican in the novel — is a thorny protagonist, often cunning, scheming and unforgiving.
Adjective
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Or will society collectively begin to see this as problematic?
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Calories Burned Chasing a calorie burn is especially problematic, according to De Leon.
Adjective
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But a closer examination paints a more complicated picture.
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The city also has some of the world’s most complicated rules about air-conditioning installation.
Cite this Entry
“Spiny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiny. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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