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