Meaning
thorny, prickly, tricky
- covered with thorns, spines, or prickles
- difficult, delicate, or controversial to handle (e.g. a matter or question)
In a sentence
Fai attenzione a quel cespuglio spinoso lungo il sentiero.
Be careful of that thorny bush along the path.
Il direttore ha dovuto affrontare una questione molto spinosa.
The director had to tackle a very thorny issue.
Non volevano toccare quell'argomento spinoso durante la cena.
They didn't want to touch that tricky topic during dinner.
Word forms (4)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| spinoso | masculine · singular |
| spinosa | feminine · singular |
| spinosi | masculine · plural |
| spinose | feminine · plural |
Usage notes
- Follows standard four-form adjective agreement: spinoso, spinosa, spinosi, spinose.
- Very common metaphorically: 'questione spinosa' is the standard equivalent of 'thorny issue'.