7
spiked(adjective, sharp, sharpness, pointed)
6
burred
6
burry
6
critical(bad, delicate, heavy, awkward, tricky)
5
baffling(adjective, difficult, delicate, complex, tricky)
5
brambly(adjective, spiky, spiny)
5
pointed(adjective, keen, sharp, fine, sharpness)
5
sharp(adjective, keen, sharp, fine, sharpness)
5
strenuous(adjective, difficult, embarrassing)
5
tangled(hard, difficulty, tricky, complicated)
5
vexatious(adjective, difficult, problematic)
4
abstruse(adjective, hard, difficult, delicate, loose)
4
aciculate
4
acute(adjective, sharp, sharpness)
4
demanding(adjective, difficult)
4
hairy(bad, difficult, heavy, risky, dangerous)
4
keen(adjective, sharp, sharpness)
4
stinging(adjective, sharp, pointed)
4
touchy(bad, delicate, heavy, awkward, tricky)
3
acanthoid
11 years ago|7k views|share |citing 
APASmart Define. (2015). thorny thesaurus. Retrieved September 28, 2026, from https://smartdefine.org/thorny/thesaurus/synonyms
ChicagoSmart Define. 2015. "thorny thesaurus" https://smartdefine.org/thorny/thesaurus/synonyms (accessed September 28, 2026).
HarvardSmart Define 2015, thorny thesaurus, Smart Define, viewed 28 September, 2026, <https://smartdefine.org/thorny/thesaurus/synonyms>.
MLASmart Define. "thorny thesaurus" 13 April 2015. Web. 28 September 2026. <https://smartdefine.org/thorny/thesaurus/synonyms>