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
There are also the Mobius strip cuff links crafted from all-silver or interwoven yellow-gold, rhodium and black ruthenium or semiprecious chrysocolla or spiny oyster.
—
Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 1 Aug. 2025
The five most common are the sandbar shark, bull shark, sand tiger shark, smooth dogfish and spiny dogfish.
—Irit Skulnik, Baltimore Sun, 22 July 2025
The Caribbean lobster that lives in the waters off of Anegada are spiny, lack claws and are smaller than their Maine counterparts.
—Caitlin Palumbo, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
Specific receptors on medium spiny neurons are common targets for medications that are sometimes used to help treat OCD.
—Carol Mathews, The Conversation, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for spiny
Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 1 Aug. 2025
The five most common are the sandbar shark, bull shark, sand tiger shark, smooth dogfish and spiny dogfish.
—Irit Skulnik, Baltimore Sun, 22 July 2025
The Caribbean lobster that lives in the waters off of Anegada are spiny, lack claws and are smaller than their Maine counterparts.
—Caitlin Palumbo, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
Specific receptors on medium spiny neurons are common targets for medications that are sometimes used to help treat OCD.
—Carol Mathews, The Conversation, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for spiny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiny
Adjective
-
Ncell, Nepal’s second-largest telecommunications service provider, noted that shutting down all platforms at once was, in any case, technically difficult and warned that the move would severely impact business.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Last summer, after years of hip problems and some difficult surgeries to address them, Jill had an operation that went poorly.—
Bianca Bosker,
The Atlantic,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The backcourt duo of Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, also known as the StudBudz, are shifty, tough shot-making guards who can get hot in a hurry.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
-
And that’s tough on those guys.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Bella, now three and a half years old, was described by Overbye as calm, sensitive, quiet, smart, and playful.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
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Prevent this by grounding AI in your documents and adding human review for sensitive content.—
Louis Mosca,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Flowers of the Cristata group look like hairy brains.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
8 Sep. 2025
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The heist and rescue – followed by a zookeeper’s lesson about the hairy, multilegged creatures – gave me a new respect for the spiders and the keepers at the Cincinnati Zoo and a fascinating story to share with our readers.—
Terry DeMio,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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According to San Angelo, some signs of a dirty microwave filter include if they are discolored, sticky, and/or sometimes smell like grease.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
12 Sep. 2025
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Sapodilla, a pear-like fruit that looks like a coconut, adds a malty butterscotch intensity to a sticky toffee pudding.—
The Bon Appétit Staff,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The process to get a refund could be thorny for some.—
Solcyré Burga,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
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That’s a tall order with abysmal civic education and sharp partisan divisions over thorny issues.—
Karlyn Bowman,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Paul, the perennially viral, soft-swinging, sometimes problematic yet incredibly watchable mommy influencer turned reality star via Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is the next sweetheart looking for love on ABC’s 20-year-old dating show.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
10 Sep. 2025
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This limit is problematic for those with wealth but low income in a particular year.—
Nathan Goldman,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This narrative has taken center stage over a far more complicated and interesting reality.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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With the success of TV shows like Hacks and The White Lotus, which explore the beautifully complicated, often messy inner lives of women who don’t fit the ingenue mold, perhaps more production companies will take chances on similar shows.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spiny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiny. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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