as in difficult
requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling
this promises to be a spiny problem to negotiate
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spiny
In addition to serving as a living mulch, the spiny hairs on squash leaves are thought to deter raccoons from stealing your sweet corn.
—
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 4 Apr. 2025
The spiny dogfish’s gestation period lasts about two years.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 27 Mar. 2025
The tuatara of New Zealand, a spiny reptilian relic, can outlive generations of researchers studying it.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
Though these prawns have spiny shells that are difficult to peel, the meat has a sweet taste like lobster, making this entree one of the eatery’s main attractions.
—Patrick Connolly, Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spiny
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 4 Apr. 2025
The spiny dogfish’s gestation period lasts about two years.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 27 Mar. 2025
The tuatara of New Zealand, a spiny reptilian relic, can outlive generations of researchers studying it.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
Though these prawns have spiny shells that are difficult to peel, the meat has a sweet taste like lobster, making this entree one of the eatery’s main attractions.
—Patrick Connolly, Orlando Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spiny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiny
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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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
-
But his sharpness increased as the tournament progressed, especially in the semi-final against his toughest opponent on paper, Stephen Nedoroscik.—
Conor O'Neill,
New York Times,
10 May 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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Even benchmarks can be misleading, since outcomes are highly sensitive to the types of tasks included.—
Josipa Majic Predin,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2025
Adjective
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Anousheh’s role is to incentivize breakthroughs in areas like carbon removal, space exploration, clean water, and longevity—big, hairy problems that can't be solved on a tight deadline or narrow budget.—
Dev Patnaik,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2025
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Black hairy tongue is a benign condition characterized by an abnormal coating of carpet-like papillae on the top surface of the tongue.9 Accidental ingestion during gargling: Hydrogen peroxide solutions up to 9% are usually safe to consume if swallowed while gargling.—
Anna Giorgi,
Verywell Health,
12 May 2025
Adjective
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Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and other members of the U.S. central bank are meeting Tuesday and Wednesday, trying to chart a path where the U.S. can avoid both a recession and sticky inflation.—
Jesse Pound,
CNBC,
6 May 2025
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Relevance is a particularly sticky word, one that lacks nuance.—
Eric Crosby,
Artforum,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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The climate crisis is a big, thorny problem that demands nuance and thoughtful reflection.—
Sammy Roth,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2025
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The cases have raised thorny legal questions about jurisdiction as well as First Amendment rights to free speech, which extend to both citizens and noncitizens under the US Constitution.—
Gloria Pazmino,
CNN Money,
14 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
“Spiny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiny. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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