Every rose has its thorn.
Source: tatoeba (38252)
Thorn
/θoɹn/
Synonyms for "thorn" (112 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (23)
Strong matches (33)
Related words (56)
harminflictionirritantirritationleechlimpetloadmolassesmucilageneedlenemesisnettlenuisanceopen woundoppressionpack of troublespastepeck of troublespestpestilence
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: prickle, spine, acanthion, acanthoid, acanthus.
- Sentence evidence is available for thorn, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, derived_reverse, moby, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "thorn".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "thorn"
Keep "thorn" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "thorn" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "thorn", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "thorn" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
15 entriesaculeusannoyancebotanical termbotherbotherationfigurative expressionidiominflictionnuisancepainpain in the asspain in the neckplant partrunerunic letter
More specific
5 entriesblackberry thornhawthorn thornrose thornthorn in the fleshthorn in the side
Collocations
6 entriesrose thornsharp thornthorn bushthorn hedgethorn stemthorny plant
Inflections
1 entriesDerivations
2 entriesTranslations
184 translations across 126 languages.
Abaza
1 entries- мгъы noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Afar
1 entries- keena noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Afrikaans
1 entries- doring noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Albanian
2 entries- ferrë noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- thumb noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Ancient Greek
1 entries- ἄκανθα noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Arabic
4 entries- أَسَلَة noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- شوك noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- شوكة noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- شَوْكَة noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Archi
1 entries- цац noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Armenian
1 entries- փուշ noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Aromanian
1 entries- schin noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Assamese
2 entries- কঁটা noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- কাঁইট noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Avar
1 entries- заз noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Aymara
1 entries- ch'aphi noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Azerbaijani
1 entries- tikan noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Bangi
1 entries- losende noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Basque
2 entries- arantza noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- elorri noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Bikol Central
1 entries- tunok noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Bulgarian
2 entries- бодил noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- трън noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Burmese
1 entries- ဆူး noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Catalan
4 entries- aculi noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- agulló noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- eculi noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- espina noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Cebuano
1 entries- tunok noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Central Kurdish
1 entries- دِڕوو noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Central Melanau
1 entries- duwei noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Chamicuro
1 entries- kajpayi noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Chinese Mandarin
3 entries- 刺 noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- 枝刺 noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- 莖刺 /茎刺 noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Cornish
1 entries- dren noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Czech
2 entries- osten noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- trn noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Dalmatian
1 entries- spaina noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Danish
1 entries- torn noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Dutch
1 entries- doorn noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Egyptian
1 entries- s-r:*t-M44 noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Esperanto
1 entries- dorno noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Estonian
3 entries- astel noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- oga noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- okas noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Faroese
2 entries- torn noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- tornur noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Finnish
4 entries- oas noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- oka noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- ora noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- ota noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
French
1 entries- épine noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Friulian
2 entries- spin noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- spine noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Galician
4 entries- espiña noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- espunlla noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- puga noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- sevia noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Georgian
1 entries- ეკალი noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
German
1 entries- Dorn noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Greek
1 entries- αγκάθι noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Hawaiian
1 entries- kākala noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Hebrew
2 entries- קֹוץ noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- שַׁיִת noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Higaonon
1 entries- dugi noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Hiligaynon
1 entries- tunok noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Hindi
1 entries- काँटा noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Hungarian
2 entries- tövis noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- tüske noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Indonesian
1 entries- duri noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Irish
1 entries- dealg noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Italian
2 entries- aculeo noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- spina noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Japanese
4 entries- 刺 noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- 棘 noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- 茨 noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- 荊 noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Jarai
1 entries- drơi noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Javanese
1 entries- ꦲꦼꦫꦶ noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Kamkata-vari
1 entries- taňí noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Kapampangan
2 entries- duwi noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- duyi noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Khmer
1 entries- បន្លា noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Kikuyu
1 entries- mũigua noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Korean
1 entries- 가시 noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Laki
1 entries- دِڕک noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Lao
1 entries- ໜາມ noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Latgalian
1 entries- ierškiezs noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Latin
1 entries- spīna noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Latvian
2 entries- dzelonis noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- ērkšķis noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Lezgi
1 entries- цаз noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Lingala
1 entries- losende noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Lithuanian
1 entries- rakis noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Low German
1 entries- Doorn noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Luhya
1 entries- kumwiva noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Macedonian
1 entries- трн noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Malay
1 entries- duri noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Manchu
2 entries- ᠪᡠᠯᠠ noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- ᠰᠠᡳᡥᡡᠸᠠ noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Maranao
1 entries- tenek noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Marathi
2 entries- कंटक noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- काटा noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Mon
1 entries- ဓလ noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Māori
2 entries- ngita noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- tara noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Ngazidja Comorian
1 entries- shiɓa noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
North Frisian
1 entries- Tuurn noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Northern Kurdish
2 entries- dirrî noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- strî noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Northern Thai
1 entries- ᩉ᩠ᨶᩣ᩠ᨾ noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- torn noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Norwegian Nynorsk
1 entries- torn noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Occitan
1 entries- espina noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Old English
1 entries- þorn noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Old Javanese
2 entries- duri noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- rwi noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Ottoman Turkish
1 entries- دیكن noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Paiwan
1 entries- djui noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Pashto
1 entries- اغزی noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Persian
2 entries- خار noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- غاژ noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Polabian
1 entries- dren noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Polish
2 entries- cierń noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- kolec noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Portuguese
2 entries- acúleo noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- espinho noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Quechua
3 entries- kaşa noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- kichka noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- t'uksi noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Romanian
2 entries- ghimpe noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- spin noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Romansch
2 entries- spegna noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- spina noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Russian
2 entries- колю́чка noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- шип noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Saho
1 entries- keena noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Samoan
1 entries- tala noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Sanskrit
1 entries- कण्टक noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Sardinian
2 entries- ispina noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- spina noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Scottish Gaelic
3 entries- dealg noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- droigheann noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- stob noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Serbo-Croatian
1 entries- trn noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Slovak
3 entries- osteň noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- pichliač noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- tŕň noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Somali
1 entries- qodax noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Southern Kurdish
1 entries- دِڕِگ noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Spanish
4 entries- aguate / ahuate / afate / guate noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- ajuate / uguate / huate noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- espina noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- pincha noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Sundanese
1 entries- rucuk noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Swahili
1 entries- mwiba noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Swedish
2 entries- torn noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- törne noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Tagalog
1 entries- tinik noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Tahitian
1 entries- tara noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Tausug
1 entries- tunuk noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Telugu
2 entries- కంటకము noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
- ముల్లు noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Thai
1 entries- หนาม noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Tongan
1 entries- tala noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Turkish
1 entries- diken noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Ukrainian
1 entries- колю́чка noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Urdu
1 entries- کانٹا noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Uzbek
1 entries- tikon noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Vietnamese
1 entries- gai noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Welsh
1 entries- draenen noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
West-Frisian
1 entries- toarne noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Western Bukidnon Manobo
1 entries- duɣi noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Yiddish
1 entries- דאָרן noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Zande
1 entries- kiwe noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Zhuang
1 entries- oen noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Zyphe
1 entries- hling noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
ǃXóõ
1 entries- gǃqhàẽ noun (sharp protective structure of a plant)
Sample sentences
19 total sentences available.
Like a thorn stuck in your throat.
Source: tatoeba (416872)
Just as a thorn stuck in one's throat.
Source: tatoeba (534984)
There's a thorn in my finger and I can't get it out.
Source: tatoeba (892630)
Showing 4 of 19 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "thorn"?
Closest matches include prickle, spine, acanthion, acanthoid, acanthus.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "thorn"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.