thornier; thorniest
thorniness
noun
Examples of thorny in a Sentence
stay out of the thorny brambles unless you want a ton of scratches
Recent Examples on the Web
Rather than toasting the alliance’s durability, leaders are going to be left tackling the thorny issues of defense spending, expansion, and the future of Ukraine.
—
Max Thornberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 9 July 2024
The political undercurrent adds another layer of complexity to the already thorny sentencing, as the former president continues to allege without evidence that the prosecution against him was politically motivated.
—Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 13 June 2024
Indeed, several of the thorniest and most effective scenes in this movie find Ruth bartering for heirlooms with the current occupant of Edek’s childhood apartment, a poor man who’s petrified that she’s come to reclaim the deed from him.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 13 June 2024
Pixar has been good at tackling thorny emotional terrain in an accessible, translatable-for-all-ages way since Buzz first met Woody.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for thorny 
Max Thornberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 9 July 2024
The political undercurrent adds another layer of complexity to the already thorny sentencing, as the former president continues to allege without evidence that the prosecution against him was politically motivated.
—Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 13 June 2024
Indeed, several of the thorniest and most effective scenes in this movie find Ruth bartering for heirlooms with the current occupant of Edek’s childhood apartment, a poor man who’s petrified that she’s come to reclaim the deed from him.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 13 June 2024
Pixar has been good at tackling thorny emotional terrain in an accessible, translatable-for-all-ages way since Buzz first met Woody.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for thorny
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thorny.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near thorny
Cite this Entry
“Thorny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thorny. Accessed 21 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
thorny
adjective
thornier; thorniest
1
: full of or covered with thorns
thorny rose bushes
2
: full of difficulties
a thorny problem
thorniness
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share