as in complexity
the state or quality of having many interrelated parts or aspects
the involution of the thriller's plot made it hard to follow
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Recent Examples of involution
The research explains that the breast remodels itself to prepare for nursing — and then when nursing is over, remodels itself again through a process called involution.
—
Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
The campaign against involution and overcapacity, initially targeting automobiles, steel, cement, solar, and E-Commerce, is also part of this regulatory context.
—Brendan Ahern, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025
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In an annual government work report delivered in March, Chinese Premier Li Qiang called for efforts to halt involution, echoing a directive from a high-level Politburo meeting in July last year.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 18 Apr. 2025
Firms and factories race to produce the same products and barely make any profit—a phenomenon known in China as nei juan, or involution.
—Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2024
Reviewers began to accuse her of involution, pretension, and self-entrancement.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2023
In a challenging economic environment, AI has become less about revolution and more about involution, and many startups are using it to make small efficiency improvements, hoping to gain enough of an edge to stay competitive.
—Lavender Au, WIRED, 13 Sep. 2023
China’s hyper-competitive schools and workplaces have given rise to movements like ‘lying flat’ and ‘involution,’ which symbolize young people’s growing rejection of its cutthroat systems.
—Yvonne Lau, Fortune, 17 Sep. 2022
This is curiously analogous to the cultural involution which Jews also underwent during this period.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 16 May 2012
Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
The campaign against involution and overcapacity, initially targeting automobiles, steel, cement, solar, and E-Commerce, is also part of this regulatory context.
—Brendan Ahern, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025
Weekly analysis and insights from Asia’s largest economy in your inbox
Subscribe now
In an annual government work report delivered in March, Chinese Premier Li Qiang called for efforts to halt involution, echoing a directive from a high-level Politburo meeting in July last year.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 18 Apr. 2025
Firms and factories race to produce the same products and barely make any profit—a phenomenon known in China as nei juan, or involution.
—Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2024
Reviewers began to accuse her of involution, pretension, and self-entrancement.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2023
In a challenging economic environment, AI has become less about revolution and more about involution, and many startups are using it to make small efficiency improvements, hoping to gain enough of an edge to stay competitive.
—Lavender Au, WIRED, 13 Sep. 2023
China’s hyper-competitive schools and workplaces have given rise to movements like ‘lying flat’ and ‘involution,’ which symbolize young people’s growing rejection of its cutthroat systems.
—Yvonne Lau, Fortune, 17 Sep. 2022
This is curiously analogous to the cultural involution which Jews also underwent during this period.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 16 May 2012
Recent Examples of Synonyms for involution
complexity
Noun
-
The only divorce thus far that really digs into the complexity of these kinds of cases is Allura’s, which is rife with hyperbolic, soapy drama.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Still, the team notes that the real world adds complexity.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Involution.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/involution. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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