convoluted

adjective

con·​vo·​lut·​ed ˈkän-və-ˌlü-təd 

1

: having convolutions

a ram with convoluted horns

2

: involved, intricate

a convoluted argument

Did you know?

The Origin of Convoluted Isn't

If you’ve ever felt your brain twisting itself into a pretzel while trying to follow a complicated or hard-to-follow line of reasoning, you’ll appreciate the relative simplicity of the adjective convoluted, which is perfect for describing head-scratchers (and pretzel-makers). Convoluted traces back to the Latin verb convolvere, meaning “to roll up, coil, or twist.” Originally, convoluted (like its predecessor in English, the verb convolute) was used in the context of things having literal convolutions—in other words, twisty things like intestines or a ram’s horns. Over time it expanded to figuratively describe things like arguments, plots, stories, logic, etc., that are intricate or feature many twists and turns that make them difficult to understand.

Synonyms

• baroque
• byzantine
• complex
• complicate
• complicated
• daedal
• elaborate
• intricate
• involute
• involved
• knotty
• labyrinthian
• labyrinthine
• sophisticated
• tangled

Examples of convoluted in a Sentence

At base stands a profound respect for the integrity of history and the complex and convoluted relationship between present and the past. —Ira Berlin, New York Times Book Review, 9 Sept. 2001

They are pictures of convoluted tree trunks on an island of pink wave-smoothed stone … —Margaret Atwood, Harper's, August 1990

… she has been fashioning sequences of plans too convoluted to materialize … —Joseph Heller, God Knows, 1984

To therapists, stepfamilies may present convoluted psychological dilemmas … —Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Family Politics, 1983

a convoluted explanation that left the listeners even more confused than they were before

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet with the possibility — however remote and convoluted — of as many as 11 teams qualifying for European football, Premier League sun loungers are far less occupied this year. —Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025

Current government mechanisms for overseeing this dangerous gain-of-function research are incomplete, severely convoluted, and lack global applicability. —Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025

Google's history with music services is almost as convoluted and frustrating as its history with messaging. —Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 18 Apr. 2025

Takahashi, Xeno’s creator, expanded on those themes with the Xenogears games for PlayStation 2, a succession of sci-fi stories examining the meaning of life and the nature of consciousness with a generous helping of biblical references and convoluted plot twists. —Josh Broadwell, Rolling Stone, 18 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of convolute

First Known Use

1766, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing convoluted

• convoluted tubule
• distal convoluted tubule
• proximal convoluted tubule

Rhymes for convoluted

• constituted
• executed
• instituted
• parachuted
• persecuted
• prosecuted
• prostituted
• recomputed
• substituted
• undiluted
• undisputed
• unpolluted

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

convoluted

adjective

con·​vo·​lut·​ed ˈkän-və-ˌlüt-əd 

1

: folded or curved in twisted windings

especially : having convolutions

2

: complicated in form : intricate

convoluted phrasing

Medical Definition

convoluted

adjective

con·​vo·​lut·​ed -ˌlü-təd 

: folded in curved or tortuous windings

specifically : having convolutions

the highly convoluted human cerebral cortex