knotty

[ not-ee ]

adjective

, knot·ti·er, knot·ti·est.

1. having knots; knot; full of knots: knot:

   a knotty piece of wood.

2. involved, intricate, or difficult:

   a knotty problem.

   Synonyms: complicated, complex

knotty

/ ˈnɒtɪ /

adjective

1. (of wood, rope, etc) full of or characterized by knots
2. extremely difficult or intricate

Derived Forms

• ˈknottily, adverb
• ˈknottiness, noun

Other Words From

• knotti·ly adverb
• knotti·ness noun
• un·knotty adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of knotty¹

First recorded in 1200–50, knotty is from the Middle English word cnotti. See knot ¹, -y ¹

Example Sentences

In artist Titus Kaphar’s emotionally knotty, semi-autobiographical directorial debut about hurt and resilience — and, of course, making art — we get a refreshingly bone-deep view of how someone can be saved by the act of creation, yet flummoxed by its therapeutic limitations.

From Los Angeles Times

Indeed, Allen’s success is part of a larger shift in pop music away from perfect polish and toward lifelike mess: Think of the startling psychological candor of a song like Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” or of the rough-edged electronic textures Charli XCX deploys on her album “Brat”; consider the knotty structures of the songs on Billie Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard and Soft” or the way Taylor Swift leans into her most chaotic tendencies on the year’s biggest LP, “The Tortured Poets Department.”

From Los Angeles Times

It’s worth providing an explanation of WordPress’ unique corporate-and-nonprofit structure, and how that further complicates an already somewhat knotty issue.

From Slate

Arguments were knotty, with a slim majority of justices potentially leaning in Glossip’s favor.

From Slate

Watching Jones and Ross navigate a knotty search that straddles the pitfalls of citizen journalism, the energy of hero worship and the seriousness of ethical inquiry is where “Seeking Mavis Beacon” ultimately finds its truest heart, chronicling a journey that invariably butts up against the problem of whose perspective is taking center stage.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• complicated
• mystifying
• perplexing
• puzzling
• sticky
• thorny
• tricky