thorny

adjectives

bristling with perplexities
"the thorny question of states' rights"
thorny
is similar to
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
"a difficult task"; "nesting places on the cliffs are difficult of access"; "difficult times"; "why is it so hard for you to keep a secret?"
difficult, hard
having or covered with protective barbs or quills or spines or thorns or setae etc.
"a horse with a short bristly mane"; "bristly shrubs"; "burred fruits"; "setaceous whiskers"
barbed, barbellate, briary, briery, bristled, bristly, burred, burry, prickly, setaceous, setose, spiny, thorny
is derived from
thorniness
is derived from
thorn