convoluted
adjective
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The Origin of Convoluted Isn't
If you’ve ever felt your brain twisting itself into a pretzel while trying to follow a complicated or hard-to-follow line of reasoning, you’ll appreciate the relative simplicity of the adjective convoluted, which is perfect for describing head-scratchers (and pretzel-makers). Convoluted traces back to the Latin verb convolvere, meaning “to roll up, coil, or twist.” Originally, convoluted (like its predecessor in English, the verb convolute) was used in the context of things having literal convolutions—in other words, twisty things like intestines or a ram’s horns. Over time it expanded to figuratively describe things like arguments, plots, stories, logic, etc., that are intricate or feature many twists and turns that make them difficult to understand.
Examples of convoluted in a Sentence
Ira Berlin, New York Times Book Review, 9 Sept. 2001
They are pictures of convoluted tree trunks on an island of pink wave-smoothed stone …
—Margaret Atwood, Harper's, August 1990
… she has been fashioning sequences of plans too convoluted to materialize …
—Joseph Heller, God Knows, 1984
To therapists, stepfamilies may present convoluted psychological dilemmas …
—Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Family Politics, 1983
a convoluted explanation that left the listeners even more confused than they were before
Whitney Friedlander, Vulture, 27 June 2025
In real life, the cast members' romantic ties are far less convoluted — or at least far less public.
—Nicole Briese, People.com, 18 June 2025
The mystery of his prior life was that much more convoluted.
—Jelani Cobb, New Yorker, 14 June 2025
The Planning Department’s proposals have been reactive and convoluted, in no small part because the Planning Department has not provided a comprehensive public input and review process.
—Geoffrey Hueter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for convoluted
Cite this Entry
“Convoluted.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convoluted. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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convoluted
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convoluted
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