thornier; thorniest
1
: full of thorns
2
: full of difficulties or controversial points : ticklish
a thorny problem
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
When he was first announced as USC’s starting quarterback last November, Jayden Maiava stepped into a pretty thorny situation. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2025 That momentum continues today with the announcement of a $21 million Series A by Layer Health, an ambitious healthcare AI startup aiming to tackle some of the sector’s thorniest issues and overcome the industry’s biggest barriers to growth. Seth Joseph, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025 This issue — allowing House members who recently had children to vote by proxy — is politically thorny, with Johnson positioning himself firmly against allowing any form of proxy voting. Andrew Solender, Axios, 25 Mar. 2025 Or, to mine the thorny relationships that can arise between press and celebrity subjects. Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 10 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for thorny

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of thorny was before the 12th century

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Cite this Entry

“Thorny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thorny. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

thorny

adjective
thornier; thorniest
1
: full of or covered with thorns
thorny rose bushes
2
: full of difficulties
a thorny problem
thorniness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on thorny

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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