A spiny plant or animal is covered with long sharp points.
...a spiny lobster.
...a spiny cactus.
Synonyms: prickly, barbed, thorny, bristly More Synonyms of spiny
spiny in British English
(ˈspaɪnɪ)
adjectiveWord forms: spinier or spiniest
1.
(of animals) having or covered with quills or spines
2.
(of plants) covered with spines; thorny
3.
troublesome to handle; puzzling
4.
shaped like a spine
Derived forms
spininess (ˈspininess)
noun
spiny in American English
(ˈspaɪni)
adjectiveWord forms: ˈspinier or ˈspiniest
1.
covered with or having spines, thorns, or prickles
2.
full of difficulties; troublesome; thorny
3.
spine-shaped
Examples of 'spiny' in a sentence
spiny
Their companion, the single male bird, perched atop a tall spiny cactus.
Tony Juniper SPIX'S MACAW: THE RACE TO SAVE THE WORLD'S RAREST BIRD (2002)
The tall caraiba trees formed a long thin green gallery through the otherwise dry and spiny caatinga.
Tony Juniper SPIX'S MACAW: THE RACE TO SAVE THE WORLD'S RAREST BIRD (2002)
Nick had a wiggly neck wattle and a chest so spiny he looked more soup chicken than grown man.
Lisa Scottoline ROUGH JUSTICE (2002)
All related terms of 'spiny'
spiny-rayed
having pointed, stiff rays
spiny dogfish
any of an order (Squaliformes) of sharks having a sharp single spine in front of each dorsal fin ; esp., a small shark ( Squalus acanthias )
spiny-finned
(of certain fishes ) having fins that are supported by stiff bony spines
spiny lobster
any of various large edible marine decapod crustaceans of the genus Palinurus and related genera, having a very tough spiny carapace
spiny anteater
→ echidna
spiny-headed worm
→ acanthocephalan
moloch
a spiny Australian desert-living lizard , Moloch horridus, that feeds on ants : family Agamidae ( agamas )
mountain devil
a spiny Australian desert-living lizard , Moloch horridus, that feeds on ants: family Agamidae ( agamas )
echidna
any of the spine-covered monotreme mammals of the genera Tachyglossus of Australia and Zaglossus of New Guinea : family Tachyglossidae. They have a long snout and claws for hunting ants and termites
echidnae
any of the spine-covered monotreme mammals of the genera Tachyglossus of Australia and Zaglossus of New Guinea : family Tachyglossidae. They have a long snout and claws for hunting ants and termites
(adjective)
Definition
(of animals or plants) covered with spines
low spiny bushes of sage
Synonyms
prickly
The grass was prickly and damp.
barbed
The factory was surrounded by barbed wire.
thorny
thorny hawthorn trees
bristly
a plant with bristly pale stems and hairy toothed leaves
brambly
briery
Additional synonyms
in the sense of barbed
The factory was surrounded by barbed wire.
Synonyms
spiked,
pointed,
toothed,
hooked,
notched,
prickly,
jagged,
thorny,
pronged,
spiny,
snaggy
in the sense of bristly
a plant with bristly pale stems and hairy toothed leaves