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thorny

thorn·y
T t

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [thawr-nee]
    • /ˈθɔr ni/
    • /ˈθɔː.ni/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [thawr-nee]
    • /ˈθɔr ni/

Definitions of thorny word

  • adjective thorny abounding in or characterized by thorns; spiny; prickly. 1
  • abbreviation THORNY thornlike. 1
  • adjective thorny overgrown with thorns or brambles. 1
  • adjective thorny painful; vexatious: a thorny predicament. 1
  • adjective thorny full of difficulties, complexities, or controversial points: a thorny question. 1
  • adjective thorny plant: having thorns 1

Information block about the term

Origin of thorny

First appearance:

before 1000
One of the 6% oldest English words
before 1000; Middle English; Old English thornig. See thorn, -y1

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Thorny

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

thorny popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 92% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

thorny usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for thorny

adj thorny

  • acuate — to sharpen
  • acuminous — keen insight; shrewdness: remarkable acumen in business matters.
  • apical — of, at, or being the apex
  • awkward — An awkward situation is embarrassing and difficult to deal with.
  • gordian — pertaining to Gordius, ancient king of Phrygia, who tied a knot (the Gordian knot) that, according to prophecy, was to be undone only by the person who was to rule Asia, and that was cut, rather than untied, by Alexander the Great.

noun thorny

  • awkwardness — lacking skill or dexterity. Synonyms: clumsy, inept; unskillful, unhandy, inexpert. Antonyms: deft, adroit, skillful, dexterous; handy.
  • in-convenience — the quality or state of being inconvenient.
  • inopportuneness — The quality of being inopportune.

adjective thorny

  • barbed — A barbed remark or joke seems polite or humorous, but contains a cleverly hidden criticism.
  • complex — Something that is complex has many different parts, and is therefore often difficult to understand.
  • complicated — If you say that something is complicated, you mean it has so many parts or aspects that it is difficult to understand or deal with.
  • echinate — bristly; prickly.
  • enigmatical — Pertaining to an enigma.

adverb thorny

  • intricately — having many interrelated parts or facets; entangled or involved: an intricate maze.

Top questions with thorny

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  • what does thorny mean?
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See also

Matching words

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