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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spiny
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
Its canes are reddish in color and covered with spiny thorns.
—Carl R. Gold, Baltimore Sun, 7 Mar. 2026
But golden spiny mice have made some adaptations that give them a better chance at longer life.
—Mallory Locklear, Hartford Courant, 7 Mar. 2026
To help keep their moisture levels in check and protect themselves from wind, desert plants often have spiny, waxy, or hairy leaves.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spiny
Ashlyn Ware, Midwest Living, 9 Apr. 2026
Its canes are reddish in color and covered with spiny thorns.
—Carl R. Gold, Baltimore Sun, 7 Mar. 2026
But golden spiny mice have made some adaptations that give them a better chance at longer life.
—Mallory Locklear, Hartford Courant, 7 Mar. 2026
To help keep their moisture levels in check and protect themselves from wind, desert plants often have spiny, waxy, or hairy leaves.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spiny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiny
Adjective
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When Thomson went through a difficult divorce, in 2014, Djena would often check in on her, showing up at her door with food.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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Crow-Armstrong had just failed to make a highly difficult, leaping catch at the wall.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
Adjective
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Each of those teams will be competing for playoff spots again, leaving the Raiders with no easy divisional wins and a tough out-of-division schedule.—
Sam Warren,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
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The group did just enough against Sale and a tough Braves bullpen to avoid getting shut out for the third time in five games.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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Auditors typically treat unattributable privileged actions as accountability gaps, because the framework expects sensitive operations to trace back to an accountable individual rather than an autonomous system.—
Janakiram MSV,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
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In addition, some companies and governments may pair that with quantum key cryptography, particularly for highly sensitive information.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
17 May 2026
Adjective
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And the score by Michael Abels (who collaborated with Jordan Peele on Get Out and Nope) is an all-timer, unsettling and steeped in dread to start and then frenetically nerve-shredding as things get hairier.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
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Where are hairy ghost pipefish found?—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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Using a flexible bench scraper or hard plastic spatula, fold dough over and onto itself several times, scraping bottom and sides of bowl, to bring together into a mass (dough will feel very wet and sticky).—
Claire Saffitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
12 May 2026
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Dusting your hands with flour can also help with the sticky dough.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
Adjective
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The best bits of Body of Work are defined by the ideas that don’t center Skeletrix in the frame, the half-thoughts and thorny passages that breeze past if you aren’t locked in.—
Olivier Lafontant,
Pitchfork,
15 May 2026
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Inside the Paddock with Luke Smith The thorny issue of multi-team ownership is again in the F1 spotlight amid Mercedes’ interest in purchasing a stake in Alpine.—
Patrick Iversen,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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Similar to human drivers, Zoox's AI and safety systems aren't infallible, but the test ride vehicle didn't exhibit any odd behaviors that seemed problematic or scary for occupants.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
11 May 2026
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Overwatering your vegetable garden is nearly as problematic as underwatering.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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The Republican primary field is far more complicated.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
16 May 2026
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This summer’s most unlikely wine trend does not involve a rare bottle or a complicated spritz.—
Noel Burgess,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spiny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiny. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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