- thorny - bristling with perplexities; "the thorny question of states' rights"
Antonym: easy (indirect, via difficult)
- barbed, barbellate, briary, briery, bristled, bristly, burred, burry, prickly, setose, setaceous, spiny, thorny - 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"
Antonym: unarmed (indirect, via armed)