labyrinth

noun

lab·​y·​rinth ˈla-bə-ˌrin(t)th 

-rən(t)th

1

a

: a place constructed of or full of intricate passageways and dead ends

a complex labyrinth of tunnels and chambers

b

: a maze (as in a garden) formed by paths separated by high hedges

2

: something extremely complex or tortuous (see tortuous sense 1) in structure, arrangement, or character : intricacy, perplexity

a labyrinth of swamps and channels

guided them through the labyrinths of city life

—Paul Blanshard

3

: a tortuous anatomical structure

especially : the internal ear or its bony or membranous part

Did you know?

Is there a difference between maze and labyrinth?

Is there a difference between the words maze and labyrinth? Not so much; both words are used in reference to confusing networks of passages or channels, or for a thing that is complicated or confusingly elaborate. However, in origin the two words are quite different. Maze is presumed to come from an unrecorded Old English word masian (“to confuse”), whereas labyrinth has a more classical pedigree.

Ancient Greek legends tell of King Minos of Crete, who had the inventor Daedalus create a labyrinth beneath his palace in which was housed the Minotaur, a fearsome monster with the head of a bull and body of a man. The Minotaur was said to have been slain by the Greek hero Theseus, who then managed to find his way out of the labyrinth with the aid of a ball of thread that had been given to him by Ariadne, the daughter of Minos.

Synonyms of labyrinth

• maze

Examples of labyrinth in a Sentence

a complex labyrinth of tunnels and chambers

The cockpit was a labyrinth of instruments and controls.

a labyrinth of social customs and rules

Recent Examples on the Web

Old school computer gamers will be intimately familiar with the dungeon crawler genre, popularized by games like Wizardry and Eye of the Beholder, which involves moving in first-person on a grid, taking on monsters, finding treasure and delving deeper into a labyrinth. — Jason Bennett, Arkansas Online, 28 June 2026

Under the streets of Paris, a 75-mile labyrinth of pipes is at work trying to keep the parts of the city cool. — Francois De Beaupuy, Fortune, 28 June 2026

The process currently requires navigating a labyrinth of national rail systems, but that frustration is about to end as the European Commission recently unveiled an ambitious new plan for train travel that seamlessly combines services from multiple rail operators across all 27 EU nations. — Forbes.com, 19 June 2026

And who knows if, with chef Mario Carbone, part of those labyrinths will be repurposed into wineries for fine wines. — Marzio G. Mian, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English laborintus, from Latin labyrinthus, from Greek labyrinthos

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing labyrinth

• membranous labyrinth

Rhymes for labyrinth

• hyacinth
• plinth
• synth

Kids Definition

labyrinth

noun

lab·​y·​rinth ˈlab-ə-ˌrin(t)th 

1

: a place full of passageways and blind alleys so arranged as to make it difficult to find one's way around : maze

2

: something extremely complicated or twisting

the cockpit was a labyrinth of instruments and controls

3

: the internal ear or its bony or membranous part

labyrinthine

ˌlab-ə-ˈrin(t)-thən

adjective

Medical Definition

labyrinth

noun

lab·​y·​rinth ˈlab-ə-ˌrin(t)th, -rən(t)th 

: a tortuous anatomical structure

especially : the inner ear or its bony or membranous part see bony labyrinth, membranous labyrinth