knotty

adjective

knot·​ty ˈnä-tē 

knottier; knottiest

: marked by or full of knots

especially : so full of difficulties and complications as to be likely to defy solution

a knotty problem

knottiness noun

Synonyms

• intricate
• complicated
• complicate
• complex
• tangled
• sophisticated

Choose the Right Synonym for knotty

complex, complicated, intricate, involved, knotty mean having confusingly interrelated parts.

complex suggests the unavoidable result of a necessary combining and does not imply a fault or failure.

a complex recipe

complicated applies to what offers great difficulty in understanding, solving, or explaining.

complicated legal procedures

intricate suggests such interlacing of parts as to make it nearly impossible to follow or grasp them separately.

an intricate web of deceit

involved implies extreme complication and often disorder.

a rambling, involved explanation

knotty suggests complication and entanglement that make solution or understanding improbable.

knotty ethical questions

Examples of knotty in a Sentence

the knotty problems that arise when every nation is part of the global marketplace

the candidates cautiously gave their views on an array of knotty issues

Recent Examples on the Web

The tit-for-tat Twitter spat comes as warring Republican factions were set for a crucial meeting Thursday to seek agreement on SALT and other knotty disputes that have endangered Trump’s sprawling budget bill. —Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 15 May 2025

Commercially, deft handling by discerning arthouse distributors will be required to draw audiences to a knotty, novelistic work that is, in the most rewarding possible way, difficult to package or summarize. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 14 May 2025

The thinking was that future leaders of the city’s public schools should be educators rather than business leaders, which past mayors have hired at times to wrestle with CPS’ knotty financial challenges. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2025

At the plot-heavy episode’s center is the knotty friendship between June and Janine, who haven’t seen each other since their separation in season four. —Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing knotty

• knotty pine

Rhymes for knotty

• dotty
• doughty
• draughty
• haughty
• naughty
• potty
• scottie
• spotty
• strati
• zloty
• basmati
• bharati

Kids Definition

knotty

adjective

knot·​ty ˈnät-ē 

knottier; knottiest

1

: full of knots

knotty wood

2

: difficult sense 2b

a knotty problem