knotty

adjective

knot·​ty ˈnä-tē How to pronounce knotty (audio)
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
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 This is a towering achievement, combining an intimate character study with large-canvas exploration of scientific obsession, American exceptionalism and political gamesmanship, while also demonstrating that movies tackling knotty subjects don’t need to be dumbed down to draw a rapt audience. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024 Weighty notions, these, all juggled with seeming nonchalance in a splendidly knotty yarn from D.C.-area native Jonathan Spector. Trey Graham, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2024 The clerks would help the Justices sort through briefs, research cited cases, and write memos on knotty questions of law. E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 7 Feb. 2024 The eight-track new set features more blends of knotty art-rock melodies, psychedelic instrumental flourishes, Krautrock grooves and alt-funk jams, and has already attracted some of the early year’s strongest critical notices, including a Best New Music designation in Pitchfork. Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 26 Jan. 2024 Each brings the precision, finesse and freewheeling spirit that underpins Oh’s alternately spacious and knotty compositions. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Jan. 2024 The critical timing of this election year, when nations must rapidly accelerate climate action to keep any hope of meeting the Paris Agreement’s goals alive, offers a lens into the knotty challenges of building democratic support for climate policy. Justin Worland, TIME, 11 Jan. 2024 Engineers connected potentiometers and op-amps to set up representations of knotty differential equations and read the solutions as varying output voltages. IEEE Spectrum, 28 Dec. 2023 Probably because his candidacy is a knotty tangle of contradiction and nonsense. Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 6 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'knotty.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of knotty was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near knotty

Cite this Entry

“Knotty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knotty. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

knotty

adjective
knot·​ty ˈnät-ē How to pronounce knotty (audio)
knottier; knottiest
1
: full of knots
knotty wood
2
: difficult sense 2b
a knotty problem

More from Merriam-Webster on knotty

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