1
2
as in difficult
requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling
the candidate tried to avoid discussing his views on the thorny issue
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of thorny
But on the issue of fear, the studio exec did address the thorny issue of artificial intelligence.
—
Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 9 June 2025
These include infidelities, unspoken longings, and thorny questions of land inheritance.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
And the durable, water-repellent, quick-dry fabric has thus far shrugged off light snowfall, summer squalls, poison ivy, and even thorny underbrush.
—The Editors, Outside Online, 30 May 2025
In his first inaugural address in 1933, former President Franklin D. Roosevelt laid out a political axiom that would come to shrewdly diagnose America's thorny brand of insularity.
—Clare Morell, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for thorny
Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 9 June 2025
These include infidelities, unspoken longings, and thorny questions of land inheritance.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
And the durable, water-repellent, quick-dry fabric has thus far shrugged off light snowfall, summer squalls, poison ivy, and even thorny underbrush.
—The Editors, Outside Online, 30 May 2025
In his first inaugural address in 1933, former President Franklin D. Roosevelt laid out a political axiom that would come to shrewdly diagnose America's thorny brand of insularity.
—Clare Morell, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for thorny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thorny
Adjective
-
While icebergs and rocky shorelines dominate the Antarctic coastline that cruise ships navigate, the heart of the continent is another world, one of shimmering blue ice tunnels and crevasses, jagged mountain peaks, and vast moonscapes.—
Chloe Berge,
Outside Online,
17 June 2025
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Sandwiched between the ocean and the Oregon Coast Range, U.S. Route 101 traces the state’s entire coastline, with wide beaches and jagged sea stacks on one side of the road and thickets of evergreen forest on the other.—
Chloe Arrojado,
AFAR Media,
17 June 2025
Adjective
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This moderately difficult, half-mile trail through the Mission Hills Open Space, is located across from Pioneer Park.—
Maura Fox,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 June 2025
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Attorney Nicole Blank Becker, who represents R. Kelly, told Fox News Digital that jurors, just like anyone else, have a difficult time separating emotions from charges.—
Tracy Wright , Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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And my body is stinging as prickly flares of embarrassment radiate from my ribs.—
A'Lelia Bundles
June 11,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2025
-
The role of the unions in all this is prickly, powerful and not always benign.—
Elizabeth Glazer,
New York Daily News,
18 May 2025
Adjective
-
The vote took place against an increasingly violent backlash to the Trump administration's tough immigration policies.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 June 2025
-
In Mind For startups, achieving more with less can be tough.—
John Hall,
Forbes.com,
15 June 2025
Adjective
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This one attaches easily to your carry-on and spares you from those scratchy airline blankets.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
30 May 2025
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For example, dry air, smoking, or exposure to secondhand smoke often lead to a scratchy throat and hoarseness.—
Laura Dorwart,
Verywell Health,
12 May 2025
Adjective
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Additionally, privacy, data security and intellectual property concerns must be addressed when handling sensitive or unpublished research material.—
Beth Worthy,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
-
With the hot and humid conditions, ozone levels will become unhealthy for sensitive groups (people with lung disease, young children, older adults, etc.).—
Joe Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
Adjective
-
Attempts to stem the flow of materials that could aid Kim's nuclear program became even more problematic last year when Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that would have extended the mandate of a panel of experts enforcing sanctions on North Korea.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
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And if that decline becomes problematic, it will likely be tied to physical decline that makes an LTIR exit viable.—
Jonas Siegel,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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At the apotheosis of technical wizardry, Vacheron Constantin debuted the most complicated wristwatch in the world, the Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication-La Première.—
Paige Reddinger,
Robb Report,
15 June 2025
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The movie centers on a New York City matchmaker caught between Mr. Perfect and her complicated ex. Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal lead the cast.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
14 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Thorny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thorny. Accessed 29 Jun. 2025.
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