convolute
Americanverb (used with or without object)
adjective
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rolled up together or with one part over another.
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Botany. coiled up longitudinally so that one margin is within the coil and the other without, as the petals of cotton.
verb
adjective
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botany rolled longitudinally upon itself
a convolute petal
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another word for convoluted
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of convolute
First recorded in 1690–1700; from Latin convolūtus “rolled up,” past participle of convolvere “to roll together, roll up”; see convolve
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:
In that regard, “Bridgerton” chugs deliciously along for at least five episodes before it starts to convolute and collapse on itself.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 22, 2020
To convolute matters more, the federal government does not require prisons or jails to collect data on pregnancy and childbirth among female inmates.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 24, 2020
The suit on the right includes a waist convolute, which allowed the Apollo 15–17 lunar surface crews to sit on the lunar rover.
From Slate ● Dec. 16, 2013
But these new songs don’t feel arbitrary when they warp or convolute.
From New York Times ● Jun. 4, 2010
Spikelets 2–8-flowered; the 1–3 upper flowers imperfect and dissimilar, convolute around each other, and enwrapped by the upper fertile flower.
From The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States Including the District East of the Mississippi and North of North Carolina and Tennessee by Asa Gray
Yet even with an ideal cast and in a more congenial theater, the play would feel diffuse and somewhat convoluted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
The convoluted route featured players taking a bus journey from the north of England to London before flying to Singapore instead of directly to Perth.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
“Yes, we are starting to see recovery, but the issue is a large portion of those barrels have to take a more convoluted route,” said Ben McMillan, chief investment officer at IDX Advisors.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026
Rom-coms and dance movies are often littered with convoluted circumstances, but “Shake Your Booty!” sabotages the heartfelt story it wants to tell about finding new love and learning to let go.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Shopping around for the cheapest policy, a process that had been convoluted and time-consuming, was suddenly made simple.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
He has disobeyed all the "rules," convoluting and twirling the plastic concrete with an insolent skill, and even using that antediluvian material glass block with flair.
From Time Magazine Archive
“A convoluting gray cloud had piled where Mount St. Helens should be,” said Bea.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
Suddenly, I realized that I was in more than any mortal danger; for the convoluting shadows about the ring were taking shape, and the death-hand was forming within the Pentacle.
From Carnacki, the Ghost Finder by William Hope Hodgson
Before them rose the fantastic, twisting, convoluting, turning spires of a tall, marvelous, glittering city.
From Collector's Item by Evelyn E. Smith
The spectacle of the legal procedure showed how a literate practice ended up convoluting justice.
From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Mihai Nadin
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