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Meanings of thorny in English

Having or covered with protective barbs or quills or spines or thorns or setae etc.

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Thorny.

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Usage of thorny in English
1
I mean, and this leads to a really thorny ethical question, right?
Wired
2
But there's that thorny question: What constitutes doing business in a state?
Reuters
3
But the really thorny problem is the nature of the credit crunch.
Reuters
4
Either way, India's problem is mostly homegrown -and it looks thorny.
Reuters
5
The vibe knob is a clever solution to a thorny social problem.
Wired
6
Good thing Stephenson tackles that thorny task in the video at right.
Wired
7
In practical terms though, the issue of independence is a thorny one.
The Guardian
8
Prof Kiberd's assumption avoids dealing with the thorny question of defining marriage.
The Irish Times
9
In fact, the drier the region, the more thorny are its plants.
The Western United States: A Geographical Reader
10
Georgia will present the White House with a thorny foreign policy problem.
Reuters
11
There's also the thorny subject of constitutional referendums and the McKenna judgment.
The Irish Times
12
Beyond the technical questions are increasingly thorny social, political and economic issues.
Big Dummy's Guide to the Internet
13
The thorny journalistic issue of privacy is hovering over our heads today.
The Guardian
14
Director Deborah LaVine's cast does a splendid job with this thorny material.
Reuters
15
Stalling will make it harder to tackle important and thorny policy matters.
Reuters
16
He listened while the thorny matter of Harrison's payment was further debated.
The illustrated longitude: the true story of a lone genius who s...
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Thorny through the time
Thorny across language varieties
Ireland
Common
United States of America
Common
United Kingdom
Common