knotty

[not-ee]

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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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Nearby words

Origin of knotty

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

SYNONYMS FOR knotty

2. complex, complicated.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR knotty ON THESAURUS.COM

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for knotty

For anyone looking to dive into the big, knotty history of one of the most iconic states, this book is well worth the time.
How Religion Turned Texas Red|William O’Connor|August 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The profession remains a knotty tangle of influences and causations and aggravations and insurers.
Is Psychiatry Being Stumped By the Mental Illnesses It Has to Treat?|Matthew Tiffany|August 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The problem was a knotty one, for as Bellefont was still of sub-stature the means of correction were limited.
The Varmint|Owen Johnson
This is the knotty problem which Savigny encouraged us to attack, but which we have hitherto failed to unravel.
The Two First Centuries of Florentine History|Pasquale Villari

Old-fashioned pigmen remove the hard and knotty fces by the aid of the finger.
The Pig|Sanders Spencer
In the sawing of blocks there would always be some too knotty or gnarled to split into shingles.
Home Life in Colonial Days|Alice Morse Earle
But at length she came to a 'knotty point' in what she was writing.
And Even Now|Max Beerbohm

British Dictionary definitions for knotty

knotty

adjective -tier or -tiest

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

extremely difficult or intricate

Derived Formsknottily, 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

Word Origin and History for knotty

knotty

adj.

mid-13c. (figurative use early 13c.), from knot (n.) + -y (2). Related: Knottiness.