knotty

adjective knot·ty \ˈnä-tē\

of wood : having many dark round marks showing where branches grew : having many knots

: difficult or complicated

knot·ti·erknot·ti·est

Full Definition of KNOTTY

: marked by or full of knots; especially : so full of difficulties and complications as to be likely to defy solution <a knotty problem>

— knot·ti·ness noun

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First Known Use of KNOTTY

13th century

Related to KNOTTY

Synonyms: baroque, byzantine, complicate, complicated, convoluted, daedal, elaborate, intricate, involute, involved, complex, labyrinthian, labyrinthine, sophisticated, tangled

Antonyms: noncomplex, noncomplicated, plain, simple, uncomplicated

Synonym Discussion of KNOTTY

complex, complicated, intricate, involved, knotty mean having confusingly interrelated parts. complex suggests the unavoidable result of a necessary combining and does not imply a fault or failure <a complex recipe>. complicated applies to what offers great difficulty in understanding, solving, or explaining <complicated legal procedures>. intricate suggests such interlacing of parts as to make it nearly impossible to follow or grasp them separately <an intricate web of deceit>. involved implies extreme complication and often disorder <a rambling, involved explanation>. knotty suggests complication and entanglement that make solution or understanding improbable <knotty ethical questions>.