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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
The school district's role in the schooting has long been a thorny issue for the victims' families.
—
Tresa Baldas, Freep.com, 22 Aug. 2025
This revival of the domestic horn trade also reignited one of the thorniest debates around rhino conservation in South Africa.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 21 Aug. 2025
Some parts of this tale are thornier, and lesser known, than others.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 20 Aug. 2025
On the second and third days of trial, devoted largely to the thorny legal questions still weighing on Breyer, the two sides made their final pitches, offering competing visions of the limits that the law places on Presidential authority, and whether judges can do anything about it.
—Cristian Farias, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for thorny
Tresa Baldas, Freep.com, 22 Aug. 2025
This revival of the domestic horn trade also reignited one of the thorniest debates around rhino conservation in South Africa.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 21 Aug. 2025
Some parts of this tale are thornier, and lesser known, than others.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 20 Aug. 2025
On the second and third days of trial, devoted largely to the thorny legal questions still weighing on Breyer, the two sides made their final pitches, offering competing visions of the limits that the law places on Presidential authority, and whether judges can do anything about it.
—Cristian Farias, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for thorny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thorny
Adjective
-
Most of the surface is made up of a fine dust with jagged edges because it hasn’t been weathered by wind or water.—
Jeremy Bogaisky,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Against all of this allegedly heady stuff, the score—by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross—intentionally jars us from encroaching drowsiness with chortling woodwinds and shardlike piano chords that are the aural equivalent of jagged Plexiglass off-cuts.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The Bulls look to be the best team in the Group of Five conferences, while the Gators and coach Billy Napier are now under pressure with a difficult SEC schedule ahead.—
Erick Smith,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Usually the final day of boot camp is most difficult.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Fifteen years of separation led them to grow even further apart, though, and a once-symbiotic relationship has evolved into something considerably more prickly.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
30 Aug. 2025
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Noah Baumbach’s painfully incisive portrait of a family divorce among a remarkably prickly family of Brooklyn intellectuals finds so many ways to showcase its characters’ most brittle sides.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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That’s a tough dichotomy to bridge, but the new 2025 911 Carrera GTS achieves it brilliantly.—
Mark Phelan,
USA Today,
7 Sep. 2025
-
The tough stainless steel loops are reinforced and designed to remain rust-free even after years of use, and a three number combination lock will be easy to remember and difficult to crack.—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Even though modern machines and detergents have taken most of the workload out of the task, there are still some outdated laundry habits that may leave your clothes and linens looking dingy, smelling less than fresh, and feeling scratchy.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
8 Aug. 2025
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The cups are removable, which is nice, depending on my mood, and the lace isn’t itchy or scratchy on my sensitive skin.—
Malia Griggs,
Glamour,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The automaker is the latest British company to be hit by a cybersecurity incident in recent months amid a surge in cyber and ransomware attacks globally, as increasingly sophisticated threat actors disrupt operations and compromise sensitive data.—
Pushkala Aripaka,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
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Stress has been building at the long-end of the yield curve, where investors are most sensitive to fiscal credibility.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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My ultra earbuds keeps disconnecting randomly, and also first connection is problematic.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
3 Sep. 2025
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This creates an especially problematic situation since 70% of team engagement is attributable to the manager.—
Caroline Castrillon,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The Music City Loop combines multiple complicated aspirations dreamed up by Musk, and few of them have succeeded at accomplishing the feat they were created for.—
Charles Singh,
Nashville Tennessean,
5 Sep. 2025
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The death sets off a chain of events that forces Lilian to revisit her fractured family life and complicated bond with her ex-husband.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Thorny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thorny. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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