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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
-
The morning light casts jagged shadows across the pink stone, catching the saguaro spines and illuminating them like desert saints.—
Rowan Jacobsen,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
-
According to one tale, the devil escaped from hell and formed the jagged peaks in one day’s work.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Cue, Helm’s first rejection, abandonment, difficult emotions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
This character was actually quite difficult for me.—
Gavin J Blair,
HollywoodReporter,
2 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
-
Whether or not Takaichi's administration is as tough on immigration issues as her campaign rhetoric suggests, some observers warn that failing to actively invest in and integrate foreign nationals into society will have lasting harm on Asia’s second-largest economy.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
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Without a consolidation of that vote in the final stretch, Mamdani appears tough to beat.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Overheating, scratchy metal utensils, overzealous scrubbing, and some cooking sprays can damage the surface and shorten the pan's lifespan.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
14 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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That’s especially problematic for aging science given that men and women age differently.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
30 Oct. 2025
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The recent release of regional Consumer Price Indexes for September – a rare federal data release during the government shutdown – shows that inflation not only remains problematic, but is now surging at its fastest pace since May 2024.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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So rather than shy away from complicated female roles, Falco embraces them.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Oct. 2025
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If an app is too complicated, people won’t use it.—
Rebecca Lazar,
Miami Herald,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Thorny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thorny. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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