knotty
Americanadjective
-
a knotty piece of wood.
-
involved, intricate, or difficult.
a knotty problem.
- Synonyms:
- complicated, complex
adjective
-
(of wood, rope, etc) full of or characterized by knots
-
extremely difficult or intricate
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of knotty
First recorded in 1200–50, knotty is from the Middle English word cnotti. See knot 1, -y 1
Explanation
Whether it’s pine or problems, sometimes the word knotty can apply to both. Knotty can describe something that has a lot of knots, either literally or figuratively. The adjective knotty is a way to describe something that’s covered in knots. It can be used in a literal sense to refer to wood that is covered in hard, irregular knots — you’ve probably seen these circular, knobby imperfections that sometime appear on wood. The word can also be used figuratively to describe something that is intricate and difficult to solve, such as a knotty political problem involving two warring nations or a knotty legal issue involving complicated constitutional issues.
Vocabulary lists containing knotty
100 SAT Words Beginning with "J," "K," and "L"
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The BFG
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"Deep Survival" by Laurence Gonzales
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Jenée Desmond-Harris offers advice on untangling this knotty disagreement.
From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026
Hardcore fans of Nolan’s knotty, grand-scale films are at the apex of this market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
As a portrait of an artist at a crossroads, it's compellingly knotty.
From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2026
Listen to his tightly harmonized vocals in “Send It On” or to the gorgeously murky electric piano in “One Mo’Gin” or to the knotty percussive crosstalk in “Sugah Daddy.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2025
I notice that his knotty toes are all red.
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
Ultimately the vibe of “The Outrun” is closer to meandering travelogue than the knottier healing drama we were hoping for.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2024
Engineers say Copilot saves them hundreds of hours a month by handling tedious and repetitive tasks, affording them time to focus on knottier challenges.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 22, 2024
Once the low-hanging fruit have been plucked what remains are more obscure concepts, knottier problems, mature markets, dustier corners in the attic of invention.
From Salon ● Nov. 26, 2021
To understand why this is a knottier issue than it seems at first glance, we must take a look at history.
From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2021
"A problem all the knottier, I suspect," began Whittaker— "Didn't I tell you?" interrupted Father Riley.
From The Seeker by Harry Leon Wilson
This massive achievement solves one of the knottiest problems in biology, and it won the AI’s creators a $3-million Breakthrough Prize.
From Scientific American ● Dec. 15, 2022
Gordon’s characters tend to be tough on themselves, convinced that diligent thinking and rethinking can untangle the knottiest problems.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2020
But the knottiest financial enigma involves Mr. Epstein’s relationship with Mr. Wexner, the chief executive of the apparel conglomerate L Brands, who for years entrusted Mr. Epstein with his financial life.
From New York Times ● Aug. 11, 2019
The morning’s knottiest exhortation came from Ma Catalina Vázquez Pérez, 51, who had woken at 5am hoping Amlo could get her son and her son-in-law out of jail.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 20, 2018
“As Agatha Swanburne once remarked, ‘Patience can untangle the knottiest shoelace, but so can a pair of scissors,’” she announced.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
