THORNY Synonyms: 63 Similar and Opposite Words

thorny

adjective

ˈthȯr-nē

Definition of thorny

as in jagged

having leaves or branches which are likely to cause a scratch stay out of the thorny brambles unless you want a ton of scratches

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

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.

Recent Examples of thorny Director Janus Metz Pedersen elides the thornier aspects of Kaczynski’s life and career and instead focuses primarily on his years as a Harvard undergrad, intercutting it with the FBI manhunt that finally brought him to justice in 1996. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026 When Bender considers moving to a rival network, Wever fleshes out the tough carapace of a woman who, even under the thorniest of circumstances, never stops calculating her next move. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026 The longer-term costs of the war could be ignored for a time, and the nuclear file and other thorny issues could be quietly set aside for future negotiations. — Richard Haass, Foreign Affairs, 23 Sep. 2026 In it, Penn State researchers probed how AI would choose whoshould receive a donor kidney, one of the thorniest issues in medical ethics. — Amanda Erickson, STAT, 22 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for thorny

Recent Examples of Synonyms for thorny

Adjective

These edges can therefore appear jagged or stair-stepped, an effect called aliasing.

— Aman Kumar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Sep. 2026
Video filmed by Tubasi’s son and shared with CNN shows debris scattered on the floor, doors and appliances smashed and walls left with large, jagged holes.

— Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of jagged

Adjective

Finding people at high risk of incubating the Bundibugyo virus, also known as contact tracing, has proved difficult in Congo.

— CONSTANT SAME BAGALWA, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026
McKinsey’s data says some of those moves can be difficult for certain workers.

— Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of difficult

Adjective

Now, Germino says her social media presence is all about giving other patients going through the same tough decision an example of someone who’s thriving after the procedure.

— Kara McGrath, Allure, 6 Oct. 2026
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu's administration is about to start tough budget negotiations against a backdrop of division and economic turmoil.

— Chloe Taylor,Jenni Reid, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of tough

Adjective

The look is crisp, angular, and metallic, with lots of straight lines and slender silhouettes, and sits in pleasing contrast alongside luscious velvet and scratchy linen, rough stone, warm terracotta, or grainy timber.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Sep. 2026
Winning ugly has become a kind of superpower for her, in the years when scratchy form emerged more often than not.

— Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of scratchy

Adjective

Over the past decade, cyberattacks against the education sector have risen expeditiously, exposing sensitive data, temporarily disrupting school operations and affecting students' learning.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
Deisseroth, a Stanford professor, helped adapt a light-sensitive protein discovered by Hegemann and Nagel into a way to control nerve cells in living mice.

— Kostya Manenkov, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of sensitive

Adjective

That can become especially problematic after retirement, when income may be more limited and unexpected expenses could otherwise push card balances higher.

— Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026
There was a palpable sense of everything crumbling around you in terms of the culture, and even social interaction became problematic.

— Shaad D’Souza, Pitchfork, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of problematic

Adjective

The book and series focus on the complicated romance of Canadian hockey prodigy Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Russian phenom Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), who are the fierce on-ice rivals and the league’s best players.

— Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 4 Oct. 2026
Another perspective may make the path feel much less complicated.

— Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of complicated

Browse Nearby Words

thorns

thorny

thorough

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“Thorny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thorny. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of thorny

adjective

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