<p><strong>Adjective</strong></p><ul><li>abounding in or characterized by thorns; spiny; prickly.</li><li>thornlike.</li><li>overgrown with thorns or brambles.</li><li>painful; vexatious: a thorny predicament.</li><li>full of difficulties, complexities, or controversial points: a thorny question.</li></ul><p><strong>Synonyms</strong></p><ul><li>ticklish</li><li>sticky</li><li>tough</li></ul>