adjective
spiny
SPEYE-nee
adjective
1
Covered with spines or sharp points.
"The spiny cactus is a common sight in the desert."
2
Difficult, tricky, or full of complications.
"They faced a spiny legal question over the property boundary."
How to Use Spiny
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishFull of thorny points, or figuratively, a tricky problem.
Common pairings
spiny cactus
a spiny issue
Word Forms
spinier comparative, spiniest superlative
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The _____ cactus is a common sight in the desert.