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knotty

[ not-ee ]
/ ˈnɒt i /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR knotty ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, knot·ti·er, knot·ti·est.

having knots; full of knots: a knotty piece of wood.
involved, intricate, or difficult: a knotty problem.

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Origin of knotty

First recorded in 1200–50, knotty is from the Middle English word cnotti.See knot1, -y1

OTHER WORDS FROM knotty

knot·ti·ly, adverbknot·ti·ness, nounun·knot·ty, adjective

Words nearby knotty

knotroot, knot stitch, knotted, knotter, knotting, knotty, knotweed, knotwork, knout, know, knowable
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to knotty

tricky, mystifying, perplexing, puzzling, sticky, thorny, complicated, baffling, complex, difficult, elaborate, formidable, hard, intricate, involved, labyrinthine, rough, rugged, sophisticated, terrible

Example sentences from the Web for knotty

British Dictionary definitions for knotty

knotty
/ (ˈnɒtɪ) /

adjective -tier or -tiest

(of wood, rope, etc) full of or characterized by knots
extremely difficult or intricate

Derived forms of knotty

knottily, adverbknottiness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012