The meaning of Thorny

adjective

Causing difficulty; hard to do or deal with.

Usage examples:

Some awkward questions

adjective

Having a barb or barbs.

Usage examples:

Barbed arrows

verb

Cut or style (a person's hair).

Usage examples:

He has barbed the hair of any celebrity you can think of

adjective

Annoying; troublesome.

Usage examples:

Most childhood stomach aches, though bothersome, aren't serious

adjective

(of hair or foliage) having a stiff and prickly texture.

Usage examples:

He washed his bristly black hair

noun

A competition.

Usage examples:

Meanwhile, janelle tells susan about the new car she's thinking of buying to drive bree to the spel…

verb

Play music as an accompaniment, especially in jazz or blues.

Usage examples:

He comps with an open, jangly sound

adjective

Short for composite.

adjective

Consisting of many interconnecting parts or elements; intricate.

Usage examples:

A complicated stereo system

verb

Make (something) more complicated.

Usage examples:

Increased choice will complicate matters for the consumer

adjective

Having many parts that are organized in a way that may be difficult to understand

Usage examples:

A complicated machine/process, he gave me directions, but they were so complicated i got lost.

preposition

On the subject of or in connection with; about.

Usage examples:

We are given little information concerning matters of national security

adjective

Causing anxiety; worrying.

Usage examples:

I find many of the comments very concerning

verb

Relate to; be about.

Usage examples:

The story concerns a friend of mine

adjective

Giving rise or likely to give rise to controversy or public disagreement.

Usage examples:

Years of wrangling over a controversial bypass

adjective

Causing or likely to cause disagreement

Usage examples:

A controversial theory/movie, they are also very controversially talking about taxing social securi…

adjective

Very fine in texture or structure; of intricate workmanship or quality.

Usage examples:

A delicate lace shawl

noun

A delicate fabric or garment.

Usage examples:

The delicates cycle of a washing machine

adjective

Needing careful treatment, esp. because easily damaged

Usage examples:

A delicate flower, delicate jewelry, the negotiations have reached a delicate stage., it’s a delica…

adjective

Needing much effort or skill to accomplish, deal with, or understand.

Usage examples:

She had a difficult decision to make

adjective

Not easy or simple; hard to do or to understand

Usage examples:

It’s a difficult choice, but i’ve got to decide which job is better., he’s in a difficult situation…

adjective

Irritating; annoying.

Usage examples:

An irksome journey

adjective

Annoying

Usage examples:

The vibration can become irksome after a while.

adjective

Full of knots.

Usage examples:

Panelling in knotty pine

adjective

Having a sharpened or tapered tip or end.

Usage examples:

His face tapers to a pointed chin

verb

Direct someone's attention towards something by extending one's finger or something held in one's hand.

Usage examples:

The lads were nudging each other and pointing at me

adjective

Intending criticism

Usage examples:

He made a pointed remark about her unwillingness to volunteer.

adjective

Covered in prickles.

Usage examples:

Masses of prickly brambles

adjective

Having sharp points that stick out, or causing a stinging feeling

Usage examples:

A prickly cactus, the wool felt prickly and itchy against his skin.

adjective

Constituting or presenting a problem.

Usage examples:

The situation was problematic for teachers

noun

A thing that constitutes a problem.

Usage examples:

The problematics of artificial intelligence

adjective

Causing difficulty, or hard to deal with

Usage examples:

Social interactions are really problematic with a lot of children.

adjective

(of an object) having an edge or point that is able to cut or pierce something.

Usage examples:

Cut the cake with a very sharp knife

adverb

Precisely (used after an expression of time).

Usage examples:

The meeting starts at 7.30 sharp

noun

A musical note raised a semitone above natural pitch.

Usage examples:

Choices in successive levels expand to all notes, then sharps and flats.

adjective

Having many spikes or sharp projecting points.

Usage examples:

A spiky cactus

adjective

Having spines; spiny.

Usage examples:

Spinose forms will need care in collecting

adjective

Having spines; spiny.

Usage examples:

Spinose forms will need care in collecting

adjective

Having long, sharp points or long and sharp in shape

adjective

Full of or covered with prickles.

Usage examples:

A spiny cactus

adjective

Covered with spines (= long, sharp points like needles)

adjective

Physically or mentally demanding.

Usage examples:

They find the work too taxing

verb

Impose a tax on (someone or something).

Usage examples:

The income will be taxed at the top rate

adjective

Needing too much effort

Usage examples:

After the surgery, i couldn’t do anything too taxing for a while.

adjective

(of a person) sensitive to being tickled.

Usage examples:

I'm ticklish on the feet

adjective

(of a substance or object) strong enough to withstand adverse conditions or rough handling.

Usage examples:

Tough rucksacks for climbers

noun

A rough and violent man.

Usage examples:

A gang of toughs

verb

Endure a period of hardship or difficulty.

adjective

(of a task, problem, etc.) requiring care and skill because difficult or awkward.

Usage examples:

Applying eyeliner can be a tricky business

adjective

(of a piece of work or a problem) difficult to deal with and needing careful attention or skill

Usage examples:

Removing scar tissue can be a very tricky operation., he’s a tricky fellow – you can’t always trust…

adjective

Causing difficulty or annoyance.

Usage examples:

Schools are removing troublesome pupils

adjective

Causing worry or anxiety

Usage examples:

The troublesome fact is that we haven’t gotten much done., his back has been troublesome for quite …

adjective

Difficult or annoying; hard to endure.

Usage examples:

It had been a very trying day

verb

Make an attempt or effort to do something.

Usage examples:

He tried to regain his breath

adjective

Causing unhappiness, disappointment, or worry.

Usage examples:

A painful and upsetting divorce

noun

The action of knocking something over.

Usage examples:

Destruction was done by the breaking of pictures, upsetting of furniture, and chopping down of inte…

verb

Make (someone) unhappy, disappointed, or worried.

Usage examples:

The accusation upset her

adjective

Causing or tending to cause annoyance, frustration, or worry.

Usage examples:

The vexatious questions posed by software copyrights

adjective

Vexatious legal complaints are not serious but are annoying to deal with

Usage examples:

70% of firms thought more employees were bringing weak and vexatious claims against their employers.

adjective

Causing anxiety about actual or potential problems; alarming.

Usage examples:

A worrying health risk

verb

Feel or cause to feel anxious or troubled about actual or potential problems.

Usage examples:

He worried about his soldier sons in the war

adjective

Making you feel unhappy and frightened

Usage examples:

It's a very worrying situation.