convoluted

[kon-vuh-loo-tid]

adjective

1. twisted; coiled.

2. complicated; intricately involved.

   a convoluted way of describing a simple device.

convoluted

/ ˈkɒnvəˌluːtɪd /

adjective

1. (esp of meaning, style, etc) difficult to comprehend; involved

2. wound together; coiled

Other Word Forms

• convolutedly adverb
• convolutedness noun
• unconvoluted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of convoluted¹

First recorded in 1805–15; convolute + -ed ²

Example Sentences

But these convoluted John le Carré diversions are not engaging, and the attempts to enrich the characters are clunky.

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“Life is not a continuous line from the cradle to the grave,” as we read in “Consider the Consequences,” but instead a convoluted series of choices and refusals.

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The writer of “Politics and the English Language” recognized such convoluted reasoning and the dangers associated with it:

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Harris pledged a convoluted tax break to help first-time home buyers, for instance.

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It required a convoluted creation of what even one of the prosecutors called a “zombie” case.

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Related Words

• intricate 
• labyrinthine 
• perplexing 
• puzzling 
• tangled 
• tortuous