Did you know?
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
Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
But for most fans not wealthy enough to buy VIP ticket packages, catching a glimpse in-person required navigating a complicated and convoluted system just for the chance to pay high prices.
—Alex Mayyasi, NPR, 17 Mar. 2026
No one should lose their source of income without warning; the silver lining, though, is that the Bruce platform is how the city begins to better identify these chefs removed from a tarnished, convoluted name.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2026
Navigating my mother’s convoluted health journey gave me the growing realization that waiting to address my own brain health could also cost me time and limit my options.
—Shon Lowe, Chicago Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for convoluted
Cite this Entry
“Convoluted.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convoluted. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
convoluted
adjective
Medical Definition
convoluted
adjective
