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
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
The airline industry is a complex beast, and O’Hare is byzantine itself.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
Behind the scenes, Florida Division of Emergency Management officials had spent nearly half of last year navigating a byzantine process in an attempt to secure reimbursement for its immigration operations, according to the emails.
—Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2026
That’s because of the byzantine rules for local tax measures.
—Daniel Borenstein, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026
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
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
The airline industry is a complex beast, and O’Hare is byzantine itself.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
Behind the scenes, Florida Division of Emergency Management officials had spent nearly half of last year navigating a byzantine process in an attempt to secure reimbursement for its immigration operations, according to the emails.
—Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2026
That’s because of the byzantine rules for local tax measures.
—Daniel Borenstein, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for byzantine
Adjective
-
The figures had cracked in many places and some of the statues revealed their complicated armature.—
Douglas Stuart,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Legacy therapeutic approaches are sometimes complicated, costly, slow or restricted in geography.—
Lucy Jones
April 11,
Miami Herald,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Experts gain valuable insights into how animal brains acquire new skills and master intricate sounds by studying vocal learning.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The best and most intricate locks usually cost around $60 and can exceed $100.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 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
-
The show also distinguished itself in its willingness to tackle complex social and existential realities.—
Jean Garnett,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Reporting on misdeeds of an intimate nature can be especially difficult and complex.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Helping keep everything under control are front Brembo brake calipers and a sophisticated adaptive air suspension with auto-leveling, a combination that gives the Acura an impressive blend of performance and ride comfort.—
Sponsored Content,
Denver Post,
17 Apr. 2026
-
While hacking is hardly uncommon in the crypto world, the Drift breach was particularly sophisticated.—
Jack Kubinec,
Fortune,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Byzantine.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/byzantine. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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