Dictionary

thorny en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈθɔɹni/ (US)
• /ˈθɔːni/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English thorny, þorny, þorni, from Old English þorniġ, from Proto-West Germanic *þornag. By surface analysis, thorn + -y.

Meanings

1. (literally) Having thorns or spines.
   • Tara flour is one of two products made from the seed pods of a thorny shrub native to Peru. One of those, tara gum, has been used safely for years as a thickening agent or stabilizer in human foods. 2024 October 3, Sandee LaMotte, “‘I’ve never experienced pain like that’: Consumers pay the price for untested food ingredients”, in CNN:
2. (figuratively) Troublesome or vexatious.
   • Westcott doesn’t even consider the thornier question of fan fiction based on real and often living people, for instance, the “bandslash” or “bandfic” phenomenon built around rock-star characters and often homoerotic subplots. 2008 July 15, Keith Goetzman, “Is Fan Fiction Flouting the Law?”, in Utne Reader:
   • the steep and thorny way to heaven c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:
   • Museums have recently begun to confront the same thorny question, with several issuing public apologies for collecting the remains of people believed or known to have been enslaved. 2021 October 10, Caroline Anders, “A TikTok bone salesman’s wall of spines reignites ethical debate over selling human remains”, in The Washington Post:
   • Mr. [Jake] Sullivan noted that turning away from thorny global issues like climate change would not stop them from posing a threat to the United States, and the world. 2025 September 26, Julian E. Barnes, Helene Cooper, “Gabbard Ends Intelligence Report on Future Threats to U.S.”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:
   • Station capacity in London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam remains a thorny issue, as does obtaining suitable Channel Tunnel-compliant trains. 2025 April 16, Ben Jones, “An opening for international high-speed competition”, in RAIL, number 1033, page 13:
   • thorny issues
   • Six weeks into the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the thorniest issues surrounding the pact remain unresolved. 2017 September 28, Ana Swanson, “How the Trump Administration Is Doing Renegotiating Nafta”, in The New York Times:
3. (figuratively) Aloof and irritable.
   • Come, Jo, don't be thorny. After studying himself to a skeleton all the week, a fellow deserves petting, and ought to get it. 1868, Louisa May Alcott, Good Wives:

Forms

Deriveds

unthorny · thorny restharrow · giant thorny-headed worm of swine · thorny broom · thornily · thorny oyster · thorny trefoil · thorny lacewing · thorniness · thorny worm · thorny burnet · thorny devil

Synonyms

prickly · spiny

Translations (76)

it spinoso (troublesome) · tl matinik (having thorns) · lv ērkšķains (having thorns) · cy pigog (having thorns) · de schwierig (troublesome) · pl najeżony (troublesome) · el αγκαθερός (having thorns) · mk трнлив (troublesome) · cy dreiniog (having thorns) · mi pūtaratara (having thorns) · es espinoso (having thorns) · fr épineux (having thorns) · bg труден (troublesome) · ga spíonach (having thorns) · bg тежък (troublesome) · grc ἀκάνθινος (having thorns) · pt espinhoso (having thorns) · cs trnitý (having thorns) · mi kōtaratara (having thorns) · mi whakahōhā (troublesome) · srn makamaka (having thorns) · es espinudo (having thorns) · it spinoso (having thorns) · hi कटीला (having thorns) · bg трънлив (having thorns) · ar شَائِك (having thorns) · ru терни́стый (having thorns) · de problematisch (troublesome) · ru терни́стый (troublesome) · ang þorniġ (having thorns) · fr épineux (troublesome) · fi okainen (troublesome) · tr dikenli (troublesome) · cs pichlavý (having thorns) · mi whakatōwenewene (troublesome) · cmn 難纏 /难缠 (troublesome) · cs palčivý (troublesome) · mk трнлив (having thorns) · cs ostnatý (having thorns) · la spīnōsus (having thorns) · bcl matunok (having thorns) · es espinudo (troublesome) · la spīnifer (having thorns) · gd droighneach (having thorns) · mk боцкав (having thorns) · he קֹוצָנִי (having thorns) · es peliagudo (troublesome) · mi kūrakuraku (troublesome) · tr dikenli (having thorns) · hy փշոտ (having thorns) · mi pōrahurahu (troublesome) · pt espinhento (having thorns) · pt espinhoso (troublesome) · ru тру́дный (troublesome) · cmn 棘手 (troublesome) · de dornig (troublesome) · grc ἀκανθώδης (having thorns) · ar شَائِك (troublesome) · bg бодлив (having thorns) · fi okainen (having thorns) · ru колю́чий (having thorns) · eo dorna (having thorns) · as কাঁইটীয়া (having thorns) · cmn 麻煩 /麻烦 (troublesome) · gd deilgneach (having thorns) · es espinoso (troublesome) · is þyrnóttur (having thorns) · eo dorna (troublesome) · ga deilgneach (having thorns) · fi piikikäs (having thorns) · pl ciernisty (having thorns) · de dornig (having thorns) · mk мачен (troublesome) · chr ᏧᏣᏲᏍᏗ (having thorns) · pl kolczasty (having thorns) · cs ožehavý (troublesome)