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spiny

spiny

3 3.9
Covered with sharp points or thorns that can hurt you
  • adjective
  • /ˈspaɪni/
translation icon : espinoso
  • The waters are resplendent with hundreds of tropical fish, colorful sea stars, spiny lobsters, and massive coral formations.
  • spiny lobster
  • spiny species

And those little spiny protrusions are little sites where neurons can reach out and form and receive new synapses from neighboring neurons.

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Examples

  • Echinoderm: The starfish, with spiny skin, is a common echinoderm found at the shore.

    Academic text (2015)
  • The tasty innards are a treat for the gulls once extracted from the hard and spiny shell of the urchin.

    Blog text (24)
  • This is the spiny, the Australian spiny anteater.

  • A sticky, spiny sea urchin

    Academic text (2015)
  • Photo (color): This spiny oyster shell found in a king's tomb contains a large jade bead.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Strange birds perched in the branches of armored, spiny recops, their plumage a rainbow's blend.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The spiny cactus in the desert can cause painful injuries if touched.

  • I carefully pruned the spiny rose bush to avoid getting scratched by its thorns.

  • The spiny pufferfish can inflate itself to deter predators with its sharp spines.

Synonyms

prickly
vsspiny
14 3.3

Covered with sharp points like thorns that can hurt to touch

is the general adjective for surfaces that have sharp points
thorny
vsspiny
6 4.2

Covered with sharp points like those on rose bushes

is broader, applying to any presence of sharp points
barbed
vsspiny
6 4.4

A thing with sharp points like wire or animal spines that can hurt and catch on things

is the broader term for any sharp projecting point not only barbs
bristly
vsspiny
1 4.6

Covered with short, stiff hairs that feel rough

emphasizes short stiff hairs as much as sharp spines
spinous
vsspiny
  • Specialized
1 9.0

Having sharp pointed parts like thorns that protect a plant or animal

is the common adjective for any object covered with sharp points
spinose
vsspiny
  • Specialized
9.9

A thing with sharp pointed parts like thorns

is used for any surface with sharp points not only thornlike ones
thorned
vsspiny
4.2

Having sharp, pointed parts that can prick the skin

is more general and covers any sharp points not only thorns
spinulose
vsspiny
  • Specialized
9.9

Having many small sharp points on the surface like tiny spikes on a plant or insect

is similar but does not imply the spines are specifically small
spined
vsspiny
4.1

Having sharp, pointed parts like quills or thorns on the body

focuses on external sharp points rather than internal backbone structures
acanthous
vsspiny
  • Specialized
9.9

Having small sharp spines or thorns on the surface

is a general descriptor for having sharp points not only shape
barbellate
vsspiny
  • Specialized
9.9

Covered with many small sharp points like spines

is more general for sharp points regardless of barb shape
aculeated
vsspiny
  • Specialized
9.9

Having sharp spines or points like a stinger

is the general term for sharp points rather than stinger likeness
quilled
vsspiny
6.8

Covered with stiff, sharp spines like a porcupine

is broader and applies to any sharp projecting point not only quills
burry
vsspiny
8.8

Having small prickles that stick to clothes or fur

is a general descriptor for sharp projections rather than only burs
burred
vsspiny
9.1

Covered with many small sharp hooks that stick to clothes or fur

is the general term for sharp projections without specifying cause
briery
vsspiny
  • US
9.2

Full of thorny plants that can prick you

is more about dense plant growth rather than single sharp projections
bristled
vsspiny
4.5

Covered with many short stiff hairs or small sharp points

focuses on bristle type projections rather than only sharp points
setaceous
vsspiny
  • Specialized
9.9

Having many short stiff hairs like those on a brush

points to sharp projections generally rather than mainly bristles
setose
vsspiny
  • Specialized
9.9

Having many short stiff hairs like bristles

is a general term for sharp points not limited to bristles

Antonyms

256 1.0

A surface that is even and not rough

Compounds

A large sea animal with a spiny shell and no big claws, often eaten in warm seas

A small thin shark with sharp spines on its back found in Atlantic coastal waters

A small shark that has two spines on its back and lives along the Pacific coast of North America

spiny anteater
  • Australian
9.5

A mammal that digs burrows, lays eggs, has sharp spines, and eats ants and termites

A small shark with sharp spines in front of its top fins

6.3

A lizard with pointy scales that lives in deserts in North and Central America

spiny-finned
  • Specialized
8.4

A fish whose fins have hard, sharp points instead of soft parts

spiny-finned fish
  • Specialized
8.7

A fish with hard, sharp spikes on its fins

spiny-headed worm
  • Specialized
9.9

A parasite that lives in animal intestines and can pull its spiny head back to hold on

Having leaves with sharp points that can hurt you

A pufferfish with stiff spines that stand out when it inflates

A freshwater turtle with a soft, warty shell that lives in calm rivers and lakes

9.9

A low cushion plant with pink flowers and leaf middle veins that stay as spines

Having leaves with sharp points that can hurt you

A plant with a stem covered in sharp spines or thorns

Thin plant from western North America that lives for several years with slightly hairy leaves and yellow flowers

How Spiny

barbed
6 4.4
thorny
6 4.2
spiny
3 3.9
prickly
14 3.3
spiky
16 3.3
bristly
1 4.6

Surface Forms

spiny positive

Morphology

spiny = spine (transparent) = spine + y

The adjective is a direct adjectival formation from 'spine' with the productive suffix '-y' meaning 'having or covered with spines', easily inferred by learners.

Etymology

Spiny comes from the word spine, which meant 'thorn' or 'backbone', and the ending -y means 'full of'. So a spiny plant or animal is 'full of sharp points', like a cactus or a sea urchin.