thorny Hear it!

thorny Definition

thorny (t̸hôr′nē)

adjective thorn′i·er, thorn′i·est

  1. full of thorns; brambly; prickly
  2. having thorns or spines: said of some animals
  3. like a thorn; sharp
  4. full of obstacles, vexations, pain, etc. the thorny road to peace
  5. full of controversial points; difficult; contentious a thorny problem

thorny Related Forms
thorn′i·ness noun
thorny Synonyms

thorny

modif.

  1. Thick with thorns

    barbed, spiny, prickly, bristly, bristled, stinging, thistly, briery, spiky, setaceous, echinate; see also sharp 2.

    Antonyms smooth*, soft, glabrous.

  2. Troublesome

    bothersome, perplexing, formidable; see difficult 1, 2.

thorny Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • thicket: Member likened the job to which I have just been appointed to a " thorny thicket " .
  • bush: He was thrown off his feet into some thorny berry bushes.
  • scrub: Making progress through the thorny acacia scrub wasn't easy.
  • shrub: Plant thorny shrubs to deter unwanted visitors from climbing over your fences.
  • hedge: A thorny hedge along the boundary of your property can put thieves off.

Modifying Another Word

  • particularly: The particularly thorny question of ` whose side are you on?
  • very: There is a lot out there relating to what is proving to be a very thorny subject.
  • often: Usually they have 5 petals, bloom once a season, and are often thorny shrubs or climbers.
  • extremely: Task in itself factors associated with an extremely thorny.
  • even: All of this is about to become even thornier under proposals in a proposed employment bill.
  • rather: After we started to plan the wedding we came across what I thought was the rather thorny issue of the wedding cake.
thorny Quotes

   Alas! they had been friends in youth; But whispering tongues can poison truth; And constancy lives in realms above; And life is thorny; and youth is vain; And to be wroth with one we love Doth work like madness on the brain. 226

—Coleridge, Samuel Taylor