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
Following a behind-schedule and over-budget redevelopment by Transport for London, the roundabout was replaced last year with a byzantine road and cycle lane layout which, peppered with traffic lights, causes constant congestion in the area.
—
Ian King, CNBC, 10 June 2026
Connor, as a soccer novice, initially had no clue how the byzantine qualification process worked.
—Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 3 June 2026
The long-form contract has become a byzantine artifact, a ritual of delay that benefits no one except perhaps the law firms billing hours on both ends.
—George Heller, HollywoodReporter, 6 May 2026
Washington—what with its byzantine rules and aggressive gridlock—would not box him in.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 15 Apr. 2026
This byzantine corporate structure apparently did not exist until Altman devised it.
—Ronan Farrow, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
The utility has more than 2 million power and water customers and is governed by byzantine rules.
—ABC News, 6 Apr. 2026
The layout is byzantine in part because Paramount bought the former rival RKO studio lot from Desilu Productions to create the lot known today.
—Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Enrigue is an erudite, charismatic raconteur—the sort who will tell you the most abject story with a wink—and his novel distills a byzantine swirl of historical events through the lives of a handful of very colorful characters.
—Carolina A. Miranda, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2026
Ian King, CNBC, 10 June 2026
Connor, as a soccer novice, initially had no clue how the byzantine qualification process worked.
—Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 3 June 2026
The long-form contract has become a byzantine artifact, a ritual of delay that benefits no one except perhaps the law firms billing hours on both ends.
—George Heller, HollywoodReporter, 6 May 2026
Washington—what with its byzantine rules and aggressive gridlock—would not box him in.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 15 Apr. 2026
This byzantine corporate structure apparently did not exist until Altman devised it.
—Ronan Farrow, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
The utility has more than 2 million power and water customers and is governed by byzantine rules.
—ABC News, 6 Apr. 2026
The layout is byzantine in part because Paramount bought the former rival RKO studio lot from Desilu Productions to create the lot known today.
—Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Enrigue is an erudite, charismatic raconteur—the sort who will tell you the most abject story with a wink—and his novel distills a byzantine swirl of historical events through the lives of a handful of very colorful characters.
—Carolina A. Miranda, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for byzantine
Adjective
-
Federal Illegality Complicates What Cannabis Can Do The explanation for cannabis' absence begins with its complicated legal status.—
Peter Su,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
-
Claims About Cycle Syncing Improving Productivity This is where the science gets complicated.—
Allison Palmer
Updated June 13,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
Together, the friends weave intricate webs of multi-player strategy just to avoid hurting someone else’s feelings.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
12 June 2026
-
Working with durable synthetic materials and intricate knotting techniques, the Miami artist explored resilience, preservation and the ties that bind communities together, turning simple text into quiet moments of reflection.—
Michelle F. Solomon,
Miami Herald,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
These are common but complicate long-term planning for federal agencies.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
-
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
-
Because the conductive liquid itself is the moving element, there is no need for complex mechanical assemblies or rigid transmission systems.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
12 June 2026
-
Japan’s complex attitudes towards homosexuality — at the risk of overly simplifying it, the country is more conservative towards queerness than America in some ways, and more accepting in others —bleed into the media that comes from the country.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
Those are the moods perfumers are bottling now, but with a more sophisticated finish.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Sacbee.com,
12 June 2026
-
But, as fate would have it, the rest of the tech industry quickly zoomed past the original AI chatbot interaction model and have focused all of their efforts on agentic AI—which essentially extends AI capabilities into autonomously doing more sophisticated tasks.—
Bob O'Donnell,
USA Today,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Byzantine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/byzantine. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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