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
Immigration has been one of Biden’s thorniest problems, practically and politically.
—
Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2024
Doing so also raises a briar patch of thorny ethical concerns.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 31 May 2024
Wheat fields began encroaching on the thorny shrub jungles around farmlands in his village in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
—Anupama Chandrasekaran, NPR, 30 May 2024
In the weeks since, what has consumed Roa in conversations with friends and professors is the question — still esoteric, but also now deeply personal — of how colleges can live up to their promise of being spaces where students tangle with thorny ideas.
—Emma Goldberg, New York Times, 28 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for thorny 
Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2024
Doing so also raises a briar patch of thorny ethical concerns.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 31 May 2024
Wheat fields began encroaching on the thorny shrub jungles around farmlands in his village in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
—Anupama Chandrasekaran, NPR, 30 May 2024
In the weeks since, what has consumed Roa in conversations with friends and professors is the question — still esoteric, but also now deeply personal — of how colleges can live up to their promise of being spaces where students tangle with thorny ideas.
—Emma Goldberg, New York Times, 28 May 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 7 Jun. 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
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