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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 Skinner knew there was plenty of narrative potential in focusing on the thorny relationship Benny strikes up with Carmen, a girl who ends up being both his beard and his BFF.
—
Manuel Betancourt, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
One of the thorniest issues facing House Republicans has yet to be resolved, even as the Energy and Commerce Committee barrels toward a meeting early next week to mark up its portion of President Trump’s domestic policy bill.
—Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 8 May 2025
Hepburn’s thorny performance veers away from her typical sparkling ingenue presence toward something more brittle (watching Holly Golightly restrain herself from cursing out a precocious, irritating child delights).
—Gráinne O'Hara Belluomo, Footwear News, 26 May 2025
The relationship has long proved thorny due to strained political ties during the latter years of the reign of Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for thorny
Manuel Betancourt, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
One of the thorniest issues facing House Republicans has yet to be resolved, even as the Energy and Commerce Committee barrels toward a meeting early next week to mark up its portion of President Trump’s domestic policy bill.
—Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 8 May 2025
Hepburn’s thorny performance veers away from her typical sparkling ingenue presence toward something more brittle (watching Holly Golightly restrain herself from cursing out a precocious, irritating child delights).
—Gráinne O'Hara Belluomo, Footwear News, 26 May 2025
The relationship has long proved thorny due to strained political ties during the latter years of the reign of Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for thorny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thorny
Adjective
-
May 31, 2025 The jagged ridges in the green mountains above Spruce Pine look strange at first, as if they were scratched into the surface by giant claws.—
Mike Belleme,
New York Times,
31 May 2025
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Especially when exploring all the jagged edges can be as delicious as it has been executed in Sirens.—
Rachel Elspeth Gross,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2025
Adjective
-
But the fact that Schwartzman, in his first film, was given the difficult task of stealing laughs away from a comedy legend, and so often succeeds in doing so, gives him the slight edge.—
Shannon Carlin,
Time,
30 May 2025
-
These connections are difficult to make from within, but consultants are trained to see across boundaries.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Adjective
-
Our relationship is a prickly rope of pride, pain, shame, gratitude, jealousy, admiration and disappointment.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
5 June 2025
-
Keller resists going too quirky with his characters, locating humor instead in the sometimes prickly, often playful exchanges between them, and pathos in their genuine care and concern for one another.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
3 June 2025
Adjective
-
This is a time for doing the tough, often unglamorous job of making the city function for all New Yorkers.—
Scott Stringer,
New York Daily News,
3 June 2025
-
When staring at twin suns like from much greater distances — many light-years away — astronomers have a much tougher time than young Skywalker in determining two stars from one.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
3 June 2025
Adjective
-
This one attaches easily to your carry-on and spares you from those scratchy airline blankets.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
30 May 2025
-
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
-
Other lawsuits have focused on one area DOGE has seen great success in: amassing sensitive government data and combining it into massive databases.—
Stephen Fowler,
NPR,
30 May 2025
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These searches help keep digital communications and sensitive information safe.—
Jeremiah Bartz,
The Conversation,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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The comment was in answer to how Friends, in its second resurgence in the streaming era, was receiving some criticism for some of its problematic elements, i.e. the lack of diversity, homophobia, sexism, etc.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
People.com,
7 June 2025
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All signs point to some problematic visitors heading to Wellsbury in season 4.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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Since then, however, there have been new revelations in their complicated family dynamics.—
Jordana Comiter,
People.com,
3 June 2025
-
But every one of those steps was much more complicated for abelian surfaces.—
Joseph Howlett,
Quanta Magazine,
2 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Thorny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thorny. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
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