thorny

英 [ˈθɔːni]

美 [ˈθɔːrni]

adj.  棘手的; 麻烦的; 引起争议的; 有刺的; 多刺的

最高级：thorniest　比较级：thornier　

TOEFLGREIELTS

Collins.1 / BNC.18411 / COCA.13200

牛津词典

adj.

• 棘手的；麻烦的；引起争议的
  causing difficulty or disagreement
  1. a thorny question/issue/problem
     棘手的问题
• 有刺的；多刺的
  having thorns
  1. a thorny bush
     有刺的灌木

柯林斯词典

• ADJ (植物、树木)带刺的，多刺的
  Athornyplant or tree is covered with thorns.
  1. ...thorny hawthorn trees.
     长满刺的山楂树
• ADJ-GRADED (问题)棘手的，复杂难解的，令人头疼的
  If you describe a problem asthorny, you mean that it is very complicated and difficult to solve, and that people are often unwilling to discuss it.
  1. ...the thorny issue of immigration policy...
     移民政策这个棘手问题
  2. It is essential that we tackle this thorny problem.
     我们很有必要处理这个棘手问题。

英英释义

adj

• having or covered with protective barbs or quills or spines or thorns or setae etc.
  1. a horse with a short bristly mane
  2. bristly shrubs
  3. burred fruits
  4. setaceous whiskers
  Synonym:barbedbarbellatebriarybrierybristledbristlyburredburrypricklysetosesetaceousspiny
• bristling with perplexities
  1. the thorny question of states' rights

双语例句

• How exactly these private dancers know which hotel rooms to visit, though, has become a thorny question.
  可是，这些私人舞女究竟是怎样知道该去哪个旅馆房间的现在却成了一个棘手的问题。
• In Japan, though, this is proving a particularly thorny problem.
  然而在日本，事实证明这是一个尤其棘手的问题。
• Its relations with international rulemakers can be thorny: think of the World Trade Organisation.
  美国与国际规则制定者之间的关系常常很棘手：例如和世界贸易组织。
• Unquestionably, a variety of thorny statistical issues are involved in the analysis of data obtained by the authors.
  无可非议，对作者获得的数据进行分析涉及各种棘手的统计问题。
• The Volvo sale also raises some thorny issues for Ford.
  出售沃尔沃也给福特带来了一些棘手的问题。
• Now we come to the thorny question of cost.
  现在我们来讨论成本这个棘手的问题。
• For a start, there are thorny issues arising from the Smith recommendations.
  首先，史密斯的建议将引发一些棘手的问题。
• In most of the developed world, immigration is a thorny problem; it must be curbed and controlled.
  时过境迁，在大多数发达国家，移民已成为一个棘手的问题：对它必须加以限制和控制。
• It is essential that we tackle this thorny problem.
  我们很有必要处理这个棘手问题。
• Recruiting from outside the family, however, remain a thorny issue.
  然而，在家族之外进行招聘仍然是个棘手的问题。