as in complicated
having many parts or aspects that are usually interrelated
spent his first year at the Pentagon just trying to fathom its byzantine workings
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Recent Examples of byzantine
Whereas 30-year-olds are already supposedly lost to the byzantine ways of workplace bureaucracies, those a decade their junior are blank slates.
—
Lila Shroff, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2025
The result is often a confusing, Byzantine car-buying process that wears down consumers and leaves them vulnerable to accepting unnecessary add-ons.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 6 Dec. 2025
Frogposting, then, pits the intractably byzantine, soulless and cutthroat nature of the contemporary economy in a simple binary against what the posters envision as the green, healthy, naturalness of the Earth—framed as a joke, the base unit of online commentary.
—Hazlitt, 3 Dec. 2025
Despite having the worst overall record of those five schools at 7-5, Duke somehow triumphed in a Byzantine tiebreaker system that’s harder to explain than calculus.
—Charlotte Observer, 3 Dec. 2025
Though famously byzantine, these processes were created to ensure local control over development decisions.
—Nicole West Bassoff, The Conversation, 14 Nov. 2025
Many people who navigated America’s byzantine immigration and citizenship process for years were also angry at the perception that legal status was being bestowed effortlessly on entirely new groups of people.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
One upshot of the menu’s byzantine sprawl is that every visit offers something new to discover.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
Congress had enacted byzantine eligibility requirements for disability and Supplemental Security Income benefits, forcing the agency to expend huge amounts of time and money running those programs.
—Eli Hager, ProPublica, 8 Sep. 2025
Lila Shroff, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2025
The result is often a confusing, Byzantine car-buying process that wears down consumers and leaves them vulnerable to accepting unnecessary add-ons.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 6 Dec. 2025
Frogposting, then, pits the intractably byzantine, soulless and cutthroat nature of the contemporary economy in a simple binary against what the posters envision as the green, healthy, naturalness of the Earth—framed as a joke, the base unit of online commentary.
—Hazlitt, 3 Dec. 2025
Despite having the worst overall record of those five schools at 7-5, Duke somehow triumphed in a Byzantine tiebreaker system that’s harder to explain than calculus.
—Charlotte Observer, 3 Dec. 2025
Though famously byzantine, these processes were created to ensure local control over development decisions.
—Nicole West Bassoff, The Conversation, 14 Nov. 2025
Many people who navigated America’s byzantine immigration and citizenship process for years were also angry at the perception that legal status was being bestowed effortlessly on entirely new groups of people.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
One upshot of the menu’s byzantine sprawl is that every visit offers something new to discover.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
Congress had enacted byzantine eligibility requirements for disability and Supplemental Security Income benefits, forcing the agency to expend huge amounts of time and money running those programs.
—Eli Hager, ProPublica, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for byzantine
Adjective
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The flare suggests there are unknown populations of giant stars near the centers of large galaxies, which also host supermassive black holes — and sheds light on the complicated interactions between two behemoths.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
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What unites them is Dern’s ability to find the humanity in characters navigating life’s most complicated terrain.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Visharukh’s shrine to Khan is just one thread in an intricate tapestry of fandom.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Handmade in Japan, Akoni styles often feature titanium, plus proprietary hinges, screws, side shields, and adjustable temples that echo the intricate inner workings of timepieces.—
Naomi Rougeau,
Robb Report,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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These are common but complicate long-term planning for federal agencies.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
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Despite differing views on a variety of security issues, the group, like Gilpatric’s, reached a clear consensus: nuclear proliferation by any additional country would diminish U.S. power, complicate strategic planning, and increase the likelihood of nuclear use, accidents, and disasters.—
MARIANO-FLORENTINO CUÉLLAR,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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British officials downplayed the pause as temporary, insisting momentum would resume amid complex negotiations, but the impasse signals broader frustrations with Europe’s regulatory posture toward American innovation, market access, and economic sovereignty.—
Daniel Ross Goodman,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
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Most of its joints can rotate fully, giving it flexibility for tight or complex spaces.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Similar to Hudson’s, my find from Nordstrom has a sophisticated mock-neck top and long pants.—
Izzy Baskette,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Pinabel described the gourmand scent, created by Givaudan perfumers Nisrine Bouazzaoui Grillié and Nadège Le Garlantezec, as chic, elegant and sophisticated.—
Jennifer Weil,
Footwear News,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Byzantine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/byzantine. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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