1
as in intricate
having many parts or aspects that are usually interrelated
the knotty problems that arise when every nation is part of the global marketplace
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in difficult
requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling
the candidates cautiously gave their views on an array of knotty issues
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of knotty
Nonetheless, reframing is a valuable means of viewing and solving knotty problems.
—
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 5 Jan. 2026
Teachers across the country are increasingly wrestling with knotty questions about whether and how to embrace AI in their classrooms.
—Christian Orozco, NBC news, 23 Dec. 2025
Their work, together and apart, eventually took them to some of the most knotty and high-profile spots in defense law.
—Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 23 Dec. 2025
The band finds their footing in the song’s first minutes — tittering cymbals, a piano line, a knotty electric guitar, and chanted vocals in Spanish and French build like a symphony.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for knotty
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 5 Jan. 2026
Teachers across the country are increasingly wrestling with knotty questions about whether and how to embrace AI in their classrooms.
—Christian Orozco, NBC news, 23 Dec. 2025
Their work, together and apart, eventually took them to some of the most knotty and high-profile spots in defense law.
—Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 23 Dec. 2025
The band finds their footing in the song’s first minutes — tittering cymbals, a piano line, a knotty electric guitar, and chanted vocals in Spanish and French build like a symphony.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for knotty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knotty
Adjective
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For an uncrewed test flight in 2014, called EFT-1, the mission team outfitted an Orion capsule with a heat shield applied in the same manner as in the Apollo era — in an intricate honeycomb-like structure.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
23 Jan. 2026
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The Shark Bay bottlenose dolphins form lifelong relationships that form some of the most intricate social structures in the animal world.—
Hasmik Kirakosyan,
Scientific American,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Business leaders, of course, have their own interests and shareholders to serve, but Democrats can still protect the public interest while giving CEOs a seat at the table to reach pragmatic answers to difficult questions like these.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
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Activist groups say hundreds of people have been killed, though the true toll remains difficult to verify due to the internet blackout and tight state controls on information.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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But, the good news is that cleaning shower grout isn't complicated.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
10 Jan. 2026
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So there are a lot of complicated emotions and a mixture of emotions happening, as well as gestures.—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The strategy would give OpenAI a direct hardware presence to complement its software and nearly a billion weekly users of ChatGPT, but faces tough competition from entrenched products without deep operating-system integration.—
Charlie Fink,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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The marketing and positioning of actresses in their roles is tougher than it’s been in recent years because of the insult machinery of man-boy social media and its echoes across society more widely.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
22 Jan. 2026
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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The commission said the report overlooks other time-sensitive cases that don't require intake appointments.—
Tim McNicholas,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
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Cold conditions may damage or kill sensitive crops, plants, and vegetation if appropriate precautions are not taken.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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However, Ederheimer added that mandatory minimum sentences may not actually encourage violent offenders not to commit crimes, further adding to the complex balance of maintaining justice and community safety.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
24 Jan. 2026
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Capital cases are more complex and require more time to prepare.—
MICHAEL R. SISAK,
Arkansas Online,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Those costs, Adler said, include slowing down response times, increasing the number of computations and sometimes the model rejecting non-problematic requests.—
Hadas Gold,
CNN Money,
8 Jan. 2026
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The Sabres run into some significant issues down the lineup — upgrading the fourth line should be among Kekäläinen’s most pressing priorities between now and the trade deadline — but young centre Noah Ostlund has helped give Buffalo’s usually problematic fourth line some connective heft and floor.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knotty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knotty. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.
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