Standard Lemma guide

thorniness

noun · 3 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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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The property of being thorny (of having thorns or metaphorically being difficult).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a rough and bitter manner

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bitterness, acrimony, acerbity, jaundice, tartness

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: disagreeableness

3

noun

Meaning 3

the quality of being covered with prickly thorns or spines

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: prickliness, bristliness, spininess

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: roughness, raggedness

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English thorny Proto-Germanic *-inōną Proto-Indo-European *-dyé- Proto-Germanic *-atjaną Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Germanic *-þuz Proto-Germanic *-assuz Proto-Germanic *-inassuz Proto-West Germanic *-nassī Old English -nes Middle English -nesse English -ness English thorniness From thorny + -ness.

Across languages

Translations

3 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: փշոտություն (pʻšotutʻyun) — having thorns
  • Latvian: ērkšķainība — having thorns
  • Portuguese: espinhosidade — having thorns