How to Use spiny in a Sentence

spiny

adjective
  • Got kids that can’t be trusted so close to sharp and spiny plants?
    — Outside Online, 1 Apr. 2021
  • Turn the lobster tail over and cut the spiny membrane in the back.
    — Elizabeth Karmel, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2022
  • Their spiny tails are no barbed defense, but a prop to right themselves in the waves.
    — Tim Prudente, baltimoresun.com, 31 Dec. 2020
  • On the west, the desert garden features aloes and spiny cacti.
    — John King, SFChronicle.com, 26 Aug. 2019
  • Its canes are reddish in color and covered with spiny thorns.
    — Carl R. Gold, Baltimore Sun, 7 Mar. 2026
  • A lot of them were extra plump, too, like the spiny larvae of the dagger moth.
    — Benji Jones, Vox, 6 May 2024
  • Some of these spiny perennials grow on the ground, while others grow tall on thin, wiry trunks.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 27 Apr. 2026
  • In its place urchin barrens now carpet the seafloor; a spiny, silent landscape stripped of life.
    — Tatjana Baleta, Time, 28 May 2026
  • Using kitchen shears, cut the spiny tips off the artichoke leaves and rub all the cut edges with lemon.
    — Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 13 May 2024
  • Scientists thought these spiky bits might be spiny scales, like those found on the bodies of rays and sharks.
    — Staff Author, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
  • But golden spiny mice have made some adaptations that give them a better chance at longer life.
    — Mallory Locklear, Hartford Courant, 7 Mar. 2026
  • The long arms are made up of spiny plates that fit together like puzzle pieces, photos show.
    — Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 10 June 2025
  • His field hands pulled the season’s last remaining fruit from the spiny branches above.
    — New York Times, 21 Nov. 2021
  • Like the spiny cone, their chemistry is a defense against predation.
    — New York Times, 25 Aug. 2021
  • These small, spiny fish are notable for their bright yellow dorsal coloration.
    — Stories By Real-Time News Team, With Ai Summarization, Miami Herald, 13 Jan. 2025
  • One was photographed in an aquarium eating a spiny dog fish, a shark that can reach four feet long.
    — Mark Graves | , oregonlive, 23 June 2023
  • Leaves are thick and leathery, 2 to 3 inches wide with spiny margins.
    — Karen Dardick, sandiegouniontribune.com, 17 May 2018
  • Scaly, spiny and snaggletoothed, soaring through the sky on leathery wings.
    — Soren Andersen, The Seattle Times, 20 Feb. 2019
  • In its first year, a rosette of spiny leaves forms is followed in year two, by flowers in the pink to deep red spectrum.
    — Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 20 Dec. 2025
  • Or how the trees burst with white surrender-flag-flowers, only to give way to spiny, bright green husks.
    — Lisa Donovan, Bon Appétit, 14 Mar. 2023
  • Place them as a centerpiece on a table for a spiny, perfect display.
    — Sunset Magazine, 27 Oct. 2022
  • Aruban cooks add a spiny, light green cucumber, called concomber, to the stew at the same time as the potatoes.
    — Roger Sands, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024
  • Luckily, deer turn their noses up at coneflower—the spiny center is a turn-off.
    — Steve Bender, Southern Living, 15 May 2024
  • Pitch your tent or park your RV amid the park's signature boulders and spiny plants.
    — Maya Kachroo-Levine, Travel + Leisure, 17 Apr. 2023
  • Male and female Pham Anh’s spiny frogs vary slightly, researchers said.
    — Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Unlike red urchins, the spiny purple urchins are no one’s idea of a favorite meal, whether human or otter.
    — Washington Post, 18 May 2018
  • Bythotrephes, a water flea with a long, spiny tail, eats other zooplankton and competes with fish for food.
    — Jason Treat, Magazine, 17 Nov. 2020
  • These two servos, combined with the carbon fiber frame and spiny feet, weigh only 11 grams.
    — IEEE Spectrum, 16 Mar. 2016
  • In the center of one room was a display of spiny king crabs, sea stars, and translucent spot prawns, denizens of the twilight zone.
    — Dana Goodyear, The New Yorker, 20 June 2022
  • Like aging copper, the Yarrow’s spiny lizard’s reptilian skin fades from gold to bluish-green.
    — Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 22 Nov. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spiny.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: