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as in difficult
requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling
the candidate tried to avoid discussing his views on the thorny issue
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of thorny
The thorny legal issue over who gets to distribute long-running game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune has an update.
—
Peter White, Deadline, 10 Apr. 2025
The bloc’s landmark legislation known as the AI Act has proven particularly thorny for companies in the rapidly growing artificial intelligence industry.
—Ryan Browne, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2025
The former have overlapping flaps of smooth skin that is red, pink, magenta, or white and pulp that may occur in any of these colors, while the latter have a yellow, thorny skin and white pulp only.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 5 Apr. 2025
The thorny but true adoption story of Natalia Grace, a Ukrainian woman born with dwarfism, was still going through U.S. courts when Aufiero was casting the show.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for thorny
Peter White, Deadline, 10 Apr. 2025
The bloc’s landmark legislation known as the AI Act has proven particularly thorny for companies in the rapidly growing artificial intelligence industry.
—Ryan Browne, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2025
The former have overlapping flaps of smooth skin that is red, pink, magenta, or white and pulp that may occur in any of these colors, while the latter have a yellow, thorny skin and white pulp only.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 5 Apr. 2025
The thorny but true adoption story of Natalia Grace, a Ukrainian woman born with dwarfism, was still going through U.S. courts when Aufiero was casting the show.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for thorny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thorny
Adjective
-
Boulders offer a jagged look For a rugged look, consider a retaining wall made from large boulders.—
Katherine McLaughlin,
Architectural Digest,
18 Apr. 2025
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All those letters are real, and all those jagged lines were the work of scissors.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The Whitecaps won games in Mexico, which is difficult to do.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2025
-
The longer-term outlook for Apple looks increasingly difficult to navigate, according to Bank of America.—
Brian Evans,
CNBC,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The book’s art director, Rita Marshall, had long admired Mr. Holland’s work, but she was put off by his famously prickly persona.—
Penelope Green,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2025
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Comments The handsome, prickly, and soulful Val Kilmer died from pneumonia on Tuesday after an 11-year struggle with throat cancer.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Published in English, Tehelka had a small circulation but an outsized reputation for tough investigations.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
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Jimmie Woods-Gray, a member of the city’s fire commission, said that cutting the Equity Bureau is a necessary step in a tough budget year.—
Noah Goldberg,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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It’s made from a soft alpaca wool blend, which adds tons of warmth without feeling hot or scratchy.—
Anne Taylor,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Apr. 2025
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Allergic reactions can include a scratchy throat, watery eyes, itchy skin, runny nose, and sneezing.—
Paul Smaglik,
Discover Magazine,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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For those with sensitive skin, this formula is fragrance-, paraben-, and dye-free.—
Macaela MacKenzie,
Glamour,
24 Apr. 2025
-
Historically, he's been sensitive to them, but his focus seems more on pushing his agenda than chasing approval numbers.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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For years, Chicago Public School officials would send dozens of names of problematic employees to monthly board meetings for their dismissals to be signed off on.—
Nell Salzman,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Apr. 2025
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For most people with autism, stimming is not a problematic behavior that should be controlled.—
Anna Giorgi,
Verywell Health,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The Princess of Wales is coming off a very complicated year.—
Blanche Marcel,
Glamour,
28 Apr. 2025
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Admittedly, the show started to lose some momentum in later seasons as subplots and shifting relationships became more complicated.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
27 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Thorny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thorny. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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