thorniest
Most difficult, vexing
Thorniest is the superlative of thorny—the most difficult, contentious, or problematic among several options.
Thorny problems resist easy solutions and tend to prick whoever handles them: Immigration remains the thorniest issue in the campaign.
The literal sense, having the most thorns, appears less often than the figurative.
Elaborately detailed, many parts
- convolutedExcessively complex or twisted
- complicatedDifficult to understand
- knottyComplex and difficult
- tangledTwisted confusedly together
labyrinthine · perplexing · puzzling · byzantine · entangled · abstruse · enigmatic · vexing
Having sharp points
- barbedHaving sharp projections
- bristlyCovered with stiff hairs
- sharpFine-edged, or astute
- spikyHaving sharp projections
brambly · thistly · nettled · scratchy · jagged · pointed · burred · hooked
Causing public dispute
- divisiveCausing sharp disagreement
- disputedArgued over, unresolved
- debatedFormally argued opposing views
- polarizingCausing sharp division
sensitive · fraught · delicate · heated · inflammatory · provocative · touchy · vexed
intricate
Elaborately detailed, many parts
- convolutedExcessively complex or twisted
- complicatedDifficult to understand
- knottyComplex and difficult
tangled · labyrinthine · perplexing · puzzling · byzantine · entangled · abstruse · enigmatic · vexing · problematic
spiny
Having sharp points
spiky · brambly · thistly · nettled · scratchy · jagged · pointed · burred · hooked · serrated
controversial
Causing public dispute
- divisiveCausing sharp disagreement
- disputedArgued over, unresolved
- debatedFormally argued opposing views
polarizing · sensitive · fraught · delicate · heated · inflammatory · provocative · touchy · vexed · contested