Phrase guide

thorn in the flesh

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A persistent difficulty or something very annoying that will not go away.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

With reference to the Bible 2nd Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, chapter 12, verse 7. 2 Corinthians 12.7

Across languages

Translations

7 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: piikki lihassa — persistent difficulty
  • French: épine au pied — persistent difficulty
  • German: Stachel im Fleisch — persistent difficulty
  • Indonesian: duri dalam daging — persistent difficulty
  • Malay: duri dalam daging — persistent difficulty
  • Polish: sól w oku — persistent difficulty
  • Russian: бельмо́ на глазу́ (belʹmó na glazú) — persistent difficulty