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
Scientists thought these spiky bits might be spiny scales, like those found on the bodies of rays and sharks.
—
Staff Author, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Residents in Fort Collins, Colorado, have been reporting sightings of wild rabbits with tentacle-like, black spiny growths around their mouths and faces, according to the local news station WFSB.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025
Dramatic red flowers, which are known as calyxes, feature soft, spiny petals that are both elegant and a little bit scary.
—Maggie Heyn Richardson, Southern Living, 14 Aug. 2025
The spiny creatures are massive grazers of kelp forests, which are crucial members of marine ecosystems, Gehman says.
—Andrea Tamayo, Scientific American, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spiny
Staff Author, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Residents in Fort Collins, Colorado, have been reporting sightings of wild rabbits with tentacle-like, black spiny growths around their mouths and faces, according to the local news station WFSB.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025
Dramatic red flowers, which are known as calyxes, feature soft, spiny petals that are both elegant and a little bit scary.
—Maggie Heyn Richardson, Southern Living, 14 Aug. 2025
The spiny creatures are massive grazers of kelp forests, which are crucial members of marine ecosystems, Gehman says.
—Andrea Tamayo, Scientific American, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spiny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiny
Adjective
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Jens generally chooses his words carefully, and is, what’s more, particularly reticent just after finishing a long and difficult winter delivery trip; what’s a person supposed to do with words in a blizzard anyway, up on a stormy heath and all directions lost?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
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In his first start in the wake of Beau Pribula’s significant injury, Zollers walked into a difficult situation, and his stat line reflected it.—
Maddie Hartley,
Kansas City Star,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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This loss had to be especially tough for the Jayhawks, considering a controversial holding call on KU changed the momentum of the game.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
9 Nov. 2025
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However, their record at the Etihad makes for tough reading.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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This includes women with estrogen sensitive breast or uterine cancer, and women who are at high risk for or have had a heart attack, stroke, blood clot, or pulmonary embolism.—
Allison Aubrey,
NPR,
11 Nov. 2025
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In insulin resistance, the body's cells become less sensitive to insulin, which leads to higher blood sugar levels.—
Leigh Weddle,
Verywell Health,
11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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For a less hairy experience, consider trying a gold kiwi or the hardy kiwi.—
Lauren O'Connor,
Health,
3 Nov. 2025
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The flights through the once Category 5 storm have been particularly hairy, with one of the NOAA aircraft having to return to its base for a safety inspection after exceeding its g-force limits from the turbulence.—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Next, add the pumpkin and peanut butter and blend until the mixture is sticky.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
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At the heart of this first of what could be many such trials is the premise that social media and its algorithms and sticky attraction have harsh consequences of thoughts of suicide, depression, sleep disruption, eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and anxiety.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Wading into the thorny issue of Taiwan’s defense has gotten other world leaders in hot water with Beijing before.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
12 Nov. 2025
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Even less thorny issues on Capitol Hill don’t seem to be enticing the president these days.—
Eleanor Mueller,
semafor.com,
12 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The show leans into this offensive, problematic plot device without any self-awareness.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
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However, others didn't find the ad too problematic.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The flare suggests there are unknown populations of giant stars near the centers of large galaxies, which also host supermassive black holes — and sheds light on the complicated interactions between two behemoths.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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What unites them is Dern’s ability to find the humanity in characters navigating life’s most complicated terrain.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spiny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiny. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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