THORNY

adj. 1 prickly, barbed, spiny, spiked, brambly, spinous, Technical spinose, acanthoid, spiculose, spiculate, spinulose, aciculate, muricate, barbellate, setigerous, setaceous, setiferous, setose The insect's feet have tiny thorny projections 2 difficult, hard, tough, prickly, nettlesome, painful, ticklish, delicate, intricate, critical, complex, complicated, problematic, vexatious, knotty, tangled, involved, troublesome, controversial, nasty, worrying, Colloq sticky, Slang hairy Many thorny questions have vexed us throughout the ages