involute

1 having many parts or aspects that are usually interrelated the novel's deliberately involute plot is intended as a brainteaser for readers Synonyms baroque, byzantine, complicate, complicated, convoluted, daedal, elaborate, intricate, complex, involved, knotty, labyrinthian, labyrinthine, sophisticated, tangledRelated Words overcomplex, overcomplicated; composite, compound, heterogeneous, mixed, multibranched, multifaceted, multifarious, multipart, varied; challenging, difficult, tough; impenetrable, incomprehensible, inexplicable, Kafkaesque, unfathomable, unintelligibleNear Antonyms oversimplified, simplified, simplistic; homogeneous, uniform, unvariedAntonyms noncomplex, noncomplicated, plain, simple, uncomplicated

2 turning around an axis like the thread of a screw the chambered nautilus is readily identified by its involute seashell Synonyms coiling, corkscrew, helical, spiral, screwlike, windingRelated Words circular; curling, curving, swirly, twistingNear Antonyms lineal, linear, right, straight