thorny

/ˈθɔːni/ (bre, ipa) · [θˈɔrni] /ˈθɔːrni/ (ame, ipa) · [θˈɔrni] /ˈthȯr-nē How to pronounce thorny (audio)/ (ame, mw)

1.形容詞B2

釋義

describes a question, issue, or situation that is hard to settle because it involves many complicated or disputed points

例句

The city council faced the thorny question of where to build the new shelter.

collocation: thorny question

Mei spent weeks working through a thorny legal case about land ownership.

collocation: thorny legal case

同義詞

difficult
broader term, does not imply tangled complexity
tricky
more informal; suggests a problem needing cleverness or care
knotty
very close in meaning but emphasises logical complexity more than social sensitivity
problematic
focuses on the presence of obstacles, not the difficulty of solving them

反義詞

Almost always modifies abstract nouns such as problem, issue, question, or dispute — never used for physical tasks or concrete objects.

❌Moving the heavy sofa was a thorny task.

✅Moving the heavy sofa was a difficult task.

💡'thorny' describes abstract problems with many complications, not physically hard work.

2.形容詞B2

釋義

covered with sharp, pointed growths on the stems or branches (said of plants like roses or cacti)

例句

Devika pricked her finger on a thorny rose bush while gardening yesterday.

collocation: thorny rose bush

The thorny branches of the acacia tree made it hard to walk through.

同義詞

反義詞

Distinguish from the figurative sense (adjective/1): this literal meaning describes only plants with sharp points.

❌The thorny cat scratched me.

✅The cat scratched me with its sharp claws.

💡'thorny' only describes plants; animals have claws, spines, or quills.

thorny — adjective