[adj] having or covered with protective barbs or quills or spines or thorns etc.; "a horse with a short bristly mane"; "bristly shrubs"; "burred fruits"
[adj] bristling with perplexities; "the thorny question of states' rights"
Synonyms
armed, barbed, barbellate, briary, briery, bristled, bristly, burred, burry, difficult, hard, prickly, spiny