hydra-headed

American  

[hahy-druh-hed-id] / ˈhaɪ drəˌhɛd ɪd /

adjective

1. containing many problems, difficulties, or obstacles.

2. having many branches, divisions, facets, etc.

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Etymology

Origin of hydra-headed

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

But the protest movement's hydra-headed strength has also proved to be a weakness: it has been largely leaderless with no charismatic figure emerging for people to unite behind.

From BBC • Jul. 12, 2022

Whatever we’re supposed to call this increasingly hydra-headed Disney content behemoth, it has rarely ventured in a direction this playful, this ghoulish, this exuberantly grotesque.

From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2022

The youth movement is often described as “leaderless” when it is actually hydra-headed, with new leaders emerging with every arrest.

From Reuters • Dec. 18, 2020

DHS wound up subsuming 22 agencies from eight federal departments—with a combined budget of $40 billion and a payroll of 183,000 employees—into one hydra-headed behemoth.

From Slate • Jul. 22, 2020

In 1833 a battle royal raged between Daniel O'Connell and the press; but, as might have been expected, Dan was no match for the hydra-headed antagonist he had been rash enough to provoke.

From The Continental Monthly, Vol. 6, No 2, August, 1864 Devoted to Literature and National Policy by Various