1
thorny issue/problem/question
The thorny question of immigration policy divided the parliament.
移民政策这个棘手的问题使议会产生了分歧。
多刺的
thornier — comparative of thorny
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
多刺的
having many sharp thorns
The thorny question of immigration policy divided the parliament.
移民政策这个棘手的问题使议会产生了分歧。
麻烦的或令人烦恼的。
Troublesome or vexatious.
充满困惑的
bristling with perplexities
冷漠且易怒的。
Aloof and irritable.
有或覆盖着保护性刺、刺毛或棘刺等
having or covered with protective barbs or quills or spines or thorns or setae etc.
The committee faced a thorny issue when deciding how to allocate the budget.
委员会在决定如何分配预算时面临一个棘手的问题。
AI contextual example
Negotiating a fair contract with the suppliers proved to be a thornier task than we expected.
与供应商谈判一份公平的合同，结果比我们预想的更棘手。
AI contextual example
She tried to avoid the thorny question of who should take responsibility.
她试图避开谁该承担责任这个棘手的问题。
AI contextual example
the thorny question of states' rights
州权这个棘手的问题。
WordNet
The thorny question of immigration policy divided the parliament.
移民政策这个棘手的问题使议会产生了分歧。
thorny 作表语时通常表示“棘手、难处理”，并非字面意思“多刺”。
Relations between the two countries became thorny after the trade dispute.
贸易争端之后，两国关系变得棘手。
She finds the topic of salary negotiations particularly thorny.
她觉得薪酬谈判这个话题特别棘手。
Not this
This is a thorn problem.
Use this
This is a thorny problem.
thorn 是名词“刺”，修饰 problem 表示“棘手的”应用形容词 thorny。
Not this
This is a sharp problem.
Use this
This is a thorny problem.
“棘手的问题”在英语中用 thorny problem；sharp problem 是受汉语“尖锐的问题”直译而来，搭配不自然。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
棘手的问题
The committee spent hours debating the thorny issue of data privacy.
委员会花了数小时讨论数据隐私这一棘手问题。
棘手的难题
Climate change remains a thorny problem for world leaders.
气候变化仍是世界各国领导人面临的一个棘手难题。
难以回答的问题
Her latest book raises thorny questions about identity and belonging.
她的新书提出了关于身份认同与归属感的棘手问题。
布满荆棘的道路
Reforming the healthcare system has been a thorny path.
改革医疗体系一直是一条布满荆棘的道路。
带刺的灌木丛
The bird disappeared into a thorny bush by the fence.
那只鸟消失在篱笆旁一丛带刺的灌木中。
棘手的问题
The question of how to fund the project is a thorny issue.
如何为该项目提供资金是一个棘手的问题。
棘手的问题；难题
Climate change remains a thorny problem for policymakers.
气候变化对政策制定者来说仍然是一个棘手的问题。
艰难的道路；充满荆棘的道路
She chose the thorny path of starting her own business.
她选择了创业这条充满荆棘的道路。
Use thornier naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
联想 thorn（刺）+ y：长满刺的枝条扎手，引申为问题棘手、令人苦恼。记住 thorn 是刺，thorny 就是多刺又棘手。
语域：neutral 常见场景：学术讨论、职场会议、新闻报道 thorny 此处指问题复杂棘手，多用于正式或半正式场合，如学术讨论、职场会议或新闻报道；日常口语中也可使用，但语气略显正式。
与 thorny /ˈθɔrni/ 真正押韵的是 corny /ˈkɔrni/ 和 horny /ˈhɔrni/。拼写相近的 thorn /θɔrn/、born /bɔrn/、torn /tɔrn/、worn /wɔrn/ 都读 /ɔrn/，没有末尾的 /i/，所以并不押韵。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.