thorny
Americanadjective
-
bearing or covered with thorns
-
difficult or unpleasant
a thorny problem
-
sharp
Other Word Forms
- thornily adverb
- thorniness noun
- unthorny adjective
Etymology
Origin of thorny
before 1000; Middle English; Old English thornig. See thorn, -y 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Money managers and advisers are increasingly recommending that families hold regular meetings to discuss their thorniest financial issues.
But it will also put the ambitious Vance, 41, in a long line of US vice presidents to be given thorny jobs by their bosses.
From Barron's
“I wanted to help, Handsome. I wanted to free her of those terrible, thorny weeds! But I did not feel up to the task.”
From Literature
I hit the ground, bounced and rolled, and finally came to rest against a thorny shrub.
From Literature
But the use of AI in cinema has prompted thorny legal questions over intellectual property and the very notion of authorship, at a time when legislation is only just beginning to grapple with the subject.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
