adjective

spiny

SPEYE-nee

Spiny (adjective) means Covered with spines or sharp points. Example: “The spiny cactus is a common sight in the desert.”

adjective

Covered with spines or sharp points.

"The spiny cactus is a common sight in the desert."

Difficult, tricky, or full of complications.

"They faced a spiny legal question over the property boundary."

How to use spiny

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishFull of thorny points, or figuratively, a tricky problem.

Common pairings

spiny cactus a spiny issue

spinier comparative, spiniest superlative

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “spiny” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Can you complete this real example?

The _____ cactus is a common sight in the desert.

From spine + -y.

spinous

spinous

tiny miny shiny rainy whiny Pliny briny brainy grainy mutiny jiminy destiny

What does “spiny” mean?

The word “spiny” means covered with spines or sharp points. In plain terms, full of thorny points, or figuratively, a tricky problem.

How do you pronounce “spiny”?

“Spiny” is pronounced SPEYE-nee (/ˈspaɪni/ in IPA).

How do you use “spiny” in a sentence?

Here is “spiny” used in a sentence: “The spiny cactus is a common sight in the desert.”

What part of speech is “spiny”?

“Spiny” is an adjective.

How many meanings does “spiny” have?

“Spiny” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: covered with spines or sharp points.

spinous