Thorny Meaning
/ˈθɔːni/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjHaving thorns or spines.
adjTroublesome or vexatious.
Sentence Examples
For giraffes, the thorny acacia leaves are a feast.
Thorny as they are, brambles give blackberries.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The path through the forest was very ____, with many prickly bushes blocking the way.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The hikers had to be very careful as they walked through the ____ thicket to avoid being scratched by the bushes today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English thorny, þorny, þorni, from Old English þorniġ, from Proto-West Germanic *þornag. By surface analysis, thorn + -y.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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:
"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]:
"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:
"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:
"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:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The path through the forest was very ____, with many prickly bushes blocking the way.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The hikers had to be very careful as they walked through the ____ thicket to avoid being scratched by the bushes today.