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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
Those thorny questions rest at the center of Carlile’s remarkable eighth solo studio album, Returning to Myself (out today via Interscope Records/Lost Highway).
—
Stephen Daw, Billboard, 24 Oct. 2025
The next phase is even thornier.
—Eric Cortellessa, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Nobody wants to deal with life's thornier questions.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
The Magic Kingdom’s Villains Land will include two major attractions, dining and shopping in a dark, devious and thorny land where the evil ambitions of Disney Villains can run wild and their stories can be told.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for thorny
Stephen Daw, Billboard, 24 Oct. 2025
The next phase is even thornier.
—Eric Cortellessa, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Nobody wants to deal with life's thornier questions.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
The Magic Kingdom’s Villains Land will include two major attractions, dining and shopping in a dark, devious and thorny land where the evil ambitions of Disney Villains can run wild and their stories can be told.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for thorny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thorny
Adjective
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Rose now realizes the smeared, dark, jagged edges are an abstract human.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
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All the shadows and jagged angles evoke German Expressionism, distorting Ronnie’s confrontation into something both surreal and terrifyingly recognizable.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
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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Go Greek with roasted tomatoes and crispy chickpeas with lemon-pepper dressing and a cucumber-olive salad, then hop to Haiti for pork cheeks with epis seasoning and prickly pikliz slaw.—
Rachel Bernhard,
jsonline.com,
22 Oct. 2025
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But Bennett is up to something odder and pricklier.—
Rhian Sasseen,
The Atlantic,
22 Oct. 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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When the air turns crisp in fall and winter, the dryness indoors can sneak up on you — and so can flaky skin, a scratchy throat, and stuffy sinuses (not to mention allergens).—
Jeaneen Russell,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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Linen can sometimes lean scratchy and wrinkly, but the texture felt just right for wearing inside or outside the house.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Some people experience tactile allodynia, which happens when the central nervous system becomes extra sensitive to things that touch your skin.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
4 Nov. 2025
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Still, employees have also been left wondering why the moves needed to take place when so many employees remained furloughed and unaware of how sensitive hardware was being handled.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
4 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
“Thorny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thorny. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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