thorny issue

collocation in English

meaningsofthornyandissue

These words are often used together. Click on the links below to explore the meanings. Or,see other collocations withissue.
thorny
adjective
uk
/ˈθɔː.ni/us
/ˈθɔːr.ni/
A thorny problem or subject is difficult to ...
See more atthorny
issue
noun[C]
uk
/ˈɪʃ.uː/us
/ˈɪʃ.uː/
a subject or problem that people are thinking and ...
See more atissue

(Definition ofthornyandissuefrom theCambridge English Dictionary© Cambridge University Press)

Examplesofthorny issue

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
This has often been athornyissuein the politics of international coordination.
From theCambridge English Corpus
For the government in the late 1620s, thethornyissuewas what to do about secular material, particularly news.
From theCambridge English Corpus
This nature-nurture distinction is of course athornyissuein developmental psychology.
From theCambridge English Corpus
There is an important section on thethornyissueof assessment and how it could become more person-focused.
From theCambridge English Corpus
This is an especiallythornyissuein the experimental literature examining children's resistance to misleading information (see below).
From theCambridge English Corpus
Although group work appears to offer these students numerous benefits, the assessment of group work projects is proving to be athornyissue.
From theCambridge English Corpus
The notion of a gap leads straight into thethornyissueof the extent to which language change is driven by functional considerations.
From theCambridge English Corpus
We know that aggregation has always been athornyissuein economics.
From theCambridge English Corpus
I think that the answer to this will depend on how one views thethornyissueof divine punishment.
From theCambridge English Corpus
They then extended their arguments to address thethornyissueof destocking.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Just what these errors imply for acquisition, however, is athornyissue.
From theCambridge English Corpus
But throughout the past 30 years of debate over social movements, scholars have dealt with thethornyissueof what participation in social movements actually means to movement members.
From theCambridge English Corpus
However, it also raises athornyissue.
From theCambridge English Corpus
I naturally welcome the fact that thethornyissueof visas has been resolved.
FromEuroparl Parallel Corpus - English
That can certainly be athornyissue, and what comes out at the end is not always rigorous.
FromEuroparl Parallel Corpus - English
The inquiry engaged in constructive discussion, but there is always athornyissue.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
This a vexing andthornyissueand will undoubtedly continue to be a matter of controversy for the foreseeable future, and even beyond.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
I now turn to thethornyissueof ticket pricing.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
Finally, there is onethornyissueabout which we, as a nation, must make up our minds.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
Want to learn more?
Go to the definition ofthorny
Go to the definition ofissue
See other collocations withissue