Gordian knot
Britishnoun
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(in Greek legend) a complicated knot, tied by King Gordius of Phrygia, that Alexander the Great cut with a sword
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a complicated and intricate problem (esp in the phrase cut the Gordian knot )
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By extension, to “cut the Gordian knot” is to solve quickly any very complex problem or to get to the heart of a problem.
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.
Fortunately, the man she meets cuts the Gordian knot of her anxieties by being perfect.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
Could the administration try to unravel this Gordian knot by suppressing prices and pushing for easy money?
From Barron's • Dec. 5, 2025
Shapiro dexterously untangles the Gordian knot of their entwined passions, shared ambitions and business bottom lines.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 11, 2025
Remember the I-95 collapse in Philadelphia last June, which seemed poised to snarl East Coast traffic in a Gordian knot?
From Slate • Mar. 26, 2024
Now understanding the maze’s algorithm, he took up his pencil again, cut though the Gordian knot, and completed the task.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
