thorny

CEFRB2

/ˈθɔːni/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Covered with thorns or difficult to deal with.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Aloof and irritable.

Examples

  • For giraffes, the thorny acacia leaves are a feast.

  • Thorny as they are, brambles give blackberries.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
4
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
2

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Troublesome or vexatious.

  2. Having thorns or spines.

More examples

In context

  • thorny issues

  • the steep and thorny way to heaven

  • 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.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The path through the forest was very blank, with many prickly bushes blocking the way.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

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