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

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

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She knows, vaguely, it has something to do with how California draws the boundaries for its 52 congressional districts, a convoluted and arcane process that’s not exactly top of the mind for your average person.

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She spent hours poring over a convoluted spreadsheet Sasha kept and found communications with several different financial advisers.

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The convoluted system allowed them to keep the peso strong and print money to cover ever-rising public spending.

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Silver acknowledged that the convoluted format used this year “was a miss.”

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Related Words

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