convoluted
adjective
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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.
Examples of convoluted in a Sentence
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
Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
Because of all the elements at any intersection, the process of closing even one crossing can be convoluted and expensive.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025
The reason is much more convoluted, tracing through location, glorified flag football, player payments and Chip Kelly’s dreams.
—Noah White, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
In a convoluted finale that sees the Grabber on skates (one of Black Phone 2’s few highlights), a sleeping Gwen is able to swim under the ice and locate the barrels where the boys’ bodies have been stashed.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for convoluted
Cite this Entry
“Convoluted.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convoluted. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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convoluted
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