thorny
Etymology

From Middle English thorny, þorny, þorni, from Old English þorniġ, from Proto-West Germanic *þornag.

Pronunciation
  • (RP) IPA: /ˈθɔːni/
  • (America) IPA: /ˈθɔɹni/
Adjective

thorny (comparative thornier, superlative thorniest)

  1. Having thorns or spines
    Synonyms: prickly, spiny
  2. (figuratively) Troublesome or vexatious
    • 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]:
      the steep and thorny way to heaven
  3. Aloof and irritable
Translations Translations


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