thorny

adjective

ˈthȯr-nē How to pronounce thorny (audio)
thornier; thorniest
Synonyms of thornynext
1
: full of thorns
2
: full of difficulties or controversial points : ticklish
a thorny problem
thorniness noun

Synonyms of thorny

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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.
Connecting people with clinical trials is complicated – even if people identify a promising match, there’s a slew of potentially thorny factors, including geographic incompatibility, and financial and time considerations. — Michelle Andrews, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026 The two companies have a number of complementary businesses — including substantial pipeline and storage networks — but combining the operations would have been thorny. — Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 14 Aug. 2026 The film’s poetic structure broaches such thorny topics without rushing toward easy resolution. — Rafaela Bassili, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026 Taken together, these cases and others like them suggest a thorny and complex narrative about the philosophy and history of art. — Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026 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

Rhymes for thorny

See All Rhymes for thorny

Browse Nearby Words

thorn tree
thorny
thorny acacia
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Thorny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thorny. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

thorny

adjective
ˈthȯr-nē How to pronounce thorny (audio)
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

Nglish: Translation of thorny for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of divulge

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All