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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
This question becomes thornier once Dorotea visits Rocca in prison, finding her rude and abrasive though not irrational.
—
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2025
Where these asylum seekers will go next poses the thorniest of problems for Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for thorny
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2025
Where these asylum seekers will go next poses the thorniest of problems for Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for thorny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thorny
Adjective
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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
-
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
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Much of its body is covered in prickly sensory hair-like structures called setae, researchers said.—
Lauren Liebhaber
September 8,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Revenge wears a wry smile in this prickly comedy from Paul Weitz (the director of American Pie and About a Boy), as Fonda and Tomlin inhabit former best friends who reunite for a funeral.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
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
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One of the most poignant choices is to intercut scratchy film of the train that in 1921 transported the Unknown Soldier to Rome in a coffin draped with patriotic banners and flowers, to be enshrined in the Altar of the Fatherland with an eternal flame at the Vittorio Emanuele II monument.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
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Now, people who don’t have a technical understanding, there might be bootlegs, but that is scratchy stuff with not very good sound.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Bella, now three and a half years old, was described by Overbye as calm, sensitive, quiet, smart, and playful.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
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Prevent this by grounding AI in your documents and adding human review for sensitive content.—
Louis Mosca,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Paul, the perennially viral, soft-swinging, sometimes problematic yet incredibly watchable mommy influencer turned reality star via Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is the next sweetheart looking for love on ABC’s 20-year-old dating show.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
10 Sep. 2025
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This limit is problematic for those with wealth but low income in a particular year.—
Nathan Goldman,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This narrative has taken center stage over a far more complicated and interesting reality.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
With the success of TV shows like Hacks and The White Lotus, which explore the beautifully complicated, often messy inner lives of women who don’t fit the ingenue mold, perhaps more production companies will take chances on similar shows.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Thorny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thorny. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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