as in difficult
requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling
this promises to be a spiny problem to negotiate
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Recent Examples of spiny
The plant is easily identified by its rampant growth in the spring and its spiny globular fruit.
—
Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 16 Apr. 2026
In late November, the annual Anegada Lobster Festival takes the island's year-round lobster love and turns it into an obsession, with local restaurants featuring special dishes and plenty of events making the spiny Anegada lobster the star of the show.
—Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2026
The Cleveland Botanical Garden's Glasshouse spotlights plants, insects, birds, and more from the spiny desert of Madagascar and the rainforest of Costa Rica.
—Ashlyn Ware, Midwest Living, 9 Apr. 2026
But golden spiny mice have made some adaptations that give them a better chance at longer life.
—Mallory Locklear, Hartford Courant, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spiny
Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 16 Apr. 2026
In late November, the annual Anegada Lobster Festival takes the island's year-round lobster love and turns it into an obsession, with local restaurants featuring special dishes and plenty of events making the spiny Anegada lobster the star of the show.
—Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2026
The Cleveland Botanical Garden's Glasshouse spotlights plants, insects, birds, and more from the spiny desert of Madagascar and the rainforest of Costa Rica.
—Ashlyn Ware, Midwest Living, 9 Apr. 2026
But golden spiny mice have made some adaptations that give them a better chance at longer life.
—Mallory Locklear, Hartford Courant, 7 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spiny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiny
Adjective
-
Building the program had proved difficult.—
Andrew Carter,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
-
Sindcom 14-Piece Food Storage Containers Set The pantry is one of the most difficult places to organize thanks to boxes of cereal, pasta, baking ingredients, and more scattered about.—
Kelsey Fredricks,
PEOPLE,
24 May 2026
Adjective
-
Management has partly attributed the membership slowdown to tougher comparisons from a year earlier, but there’s more to the story.—
Paulina Likos,
CNBC,
28 May 2026
-
The California Assembly on Thursday overwhelming voted in favor of a bill that would prohibit children under 16 years old from having a social media account, setting up what is likely to continue to be a tough battle over the coming months.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
But in all these cases, unopened soda is shelf-stable and not sensitive to refrigeration cycles.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
24 May 2026
-
Raw vegetables may preserve nutrients that are sensitive to heat, while cooked vegetables can make others easier to absorb.—
Lynn Andriani,
Martha Stewart,
24 May 2026
Adjective
-
And the score by Michael Abels (who collaborated with Jordan Peele on Get Out and Nope) is an all-timer, unsettling and steeped in dread to start and then frenetically nerve-shredding as things get hairier.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
-
Where are hairy ghost pipefish found?—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
The old bell sticky toffee pudding closes out on a rich, carmel-y high note.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 May 2026
-
This formula leaves behind an ever-so-slightly glowy slip that doesn’t feel sticky, oily, or leave residue on your clothes.—
Reece Andavolgyi,
InStyle,
25 May 2026
Adjective
-
Kelly lost her dad in October and, along with her mom and siblings, has been navigating the often-thorny questions around what to do with old financial records, collectibles, and beloved items.—
Maggie McGrath,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
-
Other potentially thorny negotiations are ahead, including the agreement with LA28 about reimbursement to the city for enhanced resources, such as the costs incurred for extra police, sanitation and other city services needed for the Olympics.—
The Editorial Board,
Daily News,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
Claire’s elective death therefore remains a problematic choice for some viewers, an act of vainglorious selfishness from a woman who was never terribly nice to begin with.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
24 May 2026
-
The problematic types are the social wasps, who live together in a colony with a queen.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
23 May 2026
Adjective
-
That’s a lot of complicated, and at times conflicting, objectives to try to balance.—
Steven D. Reske,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
-
So, the story is getting more complicated because more people are telling it, but also society is dealing with new ideas around environmentalism and second-wave feminism.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spiny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiny. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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