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thorny

[thawr-nee] / ˈθɔr ni /




Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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However, it also means having to address thorny issues with the media, which currently include a perceived lack of signings.

From BBC Aug. 13, 2026

But the question of who gets paid or has permission to develop this new reading superpower is a thorny one.

From Barron's Jul. 27, 2026

The battle deepens the thorny debate within the administration over Chinese technology.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 25, 2026

Cali Adeline’s debut novel ‘People Watching in the Desert’ uses the tropes of a breezy summer getaway to explore the thorny, Didion-esque ethics of the stories we tell about others.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 22, 2026

His back bent more than I thought possible, and then his feet went up and over the log, and he disappeared from sight, sliding into the thorny mess of darkness down the slope.

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely

Those who trust these writers’ capabilities with using comic book properties as springboards to examine thornier issues can probably deduce that “Lanterns” is employing it for a specific reason.

From Salon Aug. 14, 2026

Then it was back to even thornier negotiations in Russia–Ukraine, and Iran.

From Slate Jul. 22, 2026

The U.S. and Iran struck a preliminary peace deal last week that broadly calls for a 60-day cease-fire and punted some of the conflict’s thornier issues, such as Iran’s uranium stockpiles.

From MarketWatch Jun. 22, 2026

China, he said, might hope "that will put Trump and his team in a positive frame of mind when they're then discussing more complex, thornier issues".

From Barron's May 8, 2026

It frequents the borders of thickets, briar patches, or wherever there is a low, dense growth of bushes—the thornier and more impenetrable the better.

From Birds, Illustrated by Color Photography, Vol. 2, No. 6 December, 1897 by Various

The chapter on fisheries, expected to be the thorniest as Iceland is intent on retaining control over its resources, had not been opened.

From Barron's Mar. 6, 2026

Money managers and advisers are increasingly recommending that families hold regular meetings to discuss their thorniest financial issues.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 24, 2026

Unions say the measure would give them needed leverage and remove political pressure from the thorniest contract questions.

From Los Angeles Times Feb. 11, 2026

The territorial question is one of the thorniest.

From BBC Dec. 11, 2025

The Reagan had run afoul of nuclear power’s thorniest problem: radioactive isotopes.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland




Vocabulary lists containing thorny


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