knotty
Americanadjective
-
a knotty piece of wood.
-
involved, intricate, or difficult.
a knotty problem.
- Synonyms:
- complicated, complex
adjective
-
(of wood, rope, etc) full of or characterized by knots
-
extremely difficult or intricate
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of knotty
First recorded in 1200–50, knotty is from the Middle English word cnotti. See knot 1, -y 1
Explanation
Whether it’s pine or problems, sometimes the word knotty can apply to both. Knotty can describe something that has a lot of knots, either literally or figuratively. The adjective knotty is a way to describe something that’s covered in knots. It can be used in a literal sense to refer to wood that is covered in hard, irregular knots — you’ve probably seen these circular, knobby imperfections that sometime appear on wood. The word can also be used figuratively to describe something that is intricate and difficult to solve, such as a knotty political problem involving two warring nations or a knotty legal issue involving complicated constitutional issues.
Vocabulary lists containing knotty
100 SAT Words Beginning with "J," "K," and "L"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The BFG
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Deep Survival" by Laurence Gonzales
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Jenée Desmond-Harris offers advice on untangling this knotty disagreement.
From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026
His last three films before adapting a millennia-old poem were a historical epic about an evacuation operation, a time-travel thriller that’s knotty to the point of confusion and a biopic on a physicist.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
But for those with an ear for knotty structures that sometimes feel like puzzle pieces, taking in the whole of the record is rewarding, even fun.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
The BBC's own review noted that there was a disconnect between the "muscular" songs and the "existential crisis" of Styles' lyrics, concluding: "As a portrait of an artist at a crossroads, it's compellingly knotty."
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026
She rushed straight between two knotty pines, the thick undergrowth in between the trees swallowing the sounds of her and Mama’s footsteps.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
It’s also a knottier one than the others.
From Slate ● Nov. 10, 2025
Ultimately the vibe of “The Outrun” is closer to meandering travelogue than the knottier healing drama we were hoping for.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2024
Engineers say Copilot saves them hundreds of hours a month by handling tedious and repetitive tasks, affording them time to focus on knottier challenges.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 22, 2024
And this is the knottier grimness beneath the ever-present dread written into the 1996 mystery asking how these young women fell from collaboration, real girl power, to devouring each other.
From Salon ● Jan. 16, 2022
"He is a grand philosopher, and I wot well could explain a much knottier riddle, which we will presently submit to his acumen."
From Rienzi, Last of the Roman Tribunes by Lytton, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron
This massive achievement solves one of the knottiest problems in biology, and it won the AI’s creators a $3-million Breakthrough Prize.
From Scientific American ● Dec. 15, 2022
Some of the knottiest complications get relegated to Sohn’s epilogue, where she offers capsule summaries of what happened to her role models after their encounters with Comstock.
From New York Times ● Jul. 12, 2021
Gordon’s characters tend to be tough on themselves, convinced that diligent thinking and rethinking can untangle the knottiest problems.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2020
Deep in the knottiest verse of “Kung Fu,” Cordae astutely notes, “My future’s a tad bright.”
From Washington Post ● Dec. 13, 2018
After a long pause, Hermione voiced the knottiest question of all in a hesitant voice.
From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling
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.
