labyrinthine
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or resembling a labyrinth.
-
complicated; tortuous.
the labyrinthine byways of modern literature.
adjective
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of or relating to a labyrinth
-
resembling a labyrinth in complexity
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of labyrinthine
Explanation
Labyrinthine is a good word to describe a place that feels like an enormous maze. A new student at a huge, sprawling high school is likely to find the building labyrinthine as she wanders the halls looking for her math class. If you've ever been lost in a hedge maze, you know what a labyrinth is. The adjective labyrinthine describes something that is as confusing, complex, or maze-like as a labyrinth. This could be an actual maze, a city, or even a convoluted idea. The word comes from the Greek labyrinthos, the structure built to contain the mythological Minotaur. In the story, Daedalus did such a good job making the building labyrinthine that he nearly couldn't find his way out.
Vocabulary lists containing labyrinthine
Words to Describe a Place
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"The Palace Thief" by Ethan Canin
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This Week in Words: July 20–26, 2019
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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.
The concept centers on the idea of accidentally slipping out of normal reality and becoming trapped in this monotonous, labyrinthine environment with no clear exit.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
What follows is a fittingly labyrinthine examination of our obsession with the past, and our envy of those who can see it more clearly than we can.
From Salon ● May 30, 2026
Jorge Luis Borges, for instance, who began translating Kafka in 1938, was attracted to the labyrinthine nature of the stories, which, Ms. Hruska writes, combine the paradoxical qualities of “brevity and endlessness.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
The result is a labyrinthine layout that invites visitors to wander, exploring every line, shade, and shadow as if following Husain's own brushstrokes.
From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2025
Like a false scent, the authorship question has propelled historians down labyrinthine trails of evidence in quest of the real and true author.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
