Synonyms for knotty

Synonyms for (adj) knotty

Synonyms: knotty, snarled, snarly

Definition: tangled in knots or snarls

Usage: a mass of knotted string; snarled thread

Similar words: tangled

Definition: in a confused mass

Usage: pushed back her tangled hair; the tangled ropes


Synonyms: elusive, tough, baffling, problematic, problematical, knotty

Definition: making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe

Usage: a baffling problem; I faced the knotty problem of what to have for breakfast; a problematic situation at home

Similar words: difficult, hard

Definition: not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure

Usage: a difficult task; nesting places on the cliffs are difficult of access; difficult times; why is it so hard for you to keep a secret?


Synonyms: convoluted, Byzantine, involved, knotty, tortuous, tangled

Definition: highly complex or intricate and occasionally devious

Usage: the Byzantine tax structure; Byzantine methods for holding on to his chairmanship; convoluted legal language; convoluted reasoning; the plot was too involved; a knotty problem; got his way by labyrinthine maneuvering; Oh, what a tangled web we weave- Sir Walter Scott; tortuous legal procedures; tortuous negotiations lasting for months

Similar words: complex

Definition: complicated in structure; consisting of interconnected parts

Usage: a complex set of variations based on a simple folk melody; a complex mass of diverse laws and customs


Synonyms: gnarled, gnarly, knobbed, knotted, knotty

Definition: used of old persons or old trees; covered with knobs or knots

Usage: gnarled and knotted hands; a knobbed stick

Similar words: crooked

Definition: having or marked by bends or angles; not straight or aligned

Usage: crooked country roads; crooked teeth


Visual thesaurus for knotty