labyrinthine

[ lab-uh-rin-thin, -theen ]

/ ˌlæb əˈrɪn θɪn, -θin /

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adjective

of, relating to, or resembling a labyrinth.

complicated; tortuous: the labyrinthine byways of modern literature.

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Also lab·y·rin·thi·an

[lab-uh-rin-thee-uhn], /ˌlæb əˈrɪn θi ən/, lab·y·rin·thic.

Origin of labyrinthine

First recorded in 1740–50; labyrinth + -ine¹

OTHER WORDS FROM labyrinthine

lab·y·rin·thi·cal·ly, adverb

Words nearby labyrinthine

La Bruyère, Labuan, laburnum, labyrinth, labyrinth fish, labyrinthine, labyrinthitis, labyrinthodont, lac, Lacan, La Canada-Flintridge

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use labyrinthine in a sentence

At a time when so many people are struggling to navigate labyrinthine websites and backed-up phone lines to track down a coronavirus vaccine, the Fabulous Ladies Book Club has demonstrated a remarkable efficiency.
Meet the book club that’s helping to quickly vaccinate its town|Nora Krug|January 26, 2021|Washington Post
An oppressively dark, cluttered, unnavigable wood-paneled disaster, Kylie’s childhood home feels labyrinthine and suffocating, even though it’s hardly the Overlook Hotel.
One Good Thing: Housebound is the perfect horror comedy for the perpetually quarantined|Aja Romano|December 31, 2020|Vox
The labyrinthine story, which progresses simultaneously through 13 interwoven narratives, is the very best kind of sci-fi mind-boggler and a pleasure to unravel from start to finish.
Gift Guide: Games on every platform to get you through the long, COVID winter|Devin Coldewey|December 3, 2020|TechCrunch
That debate seems abstract on the surface, but it could have major implications for American businesses, whose labyrinthine global supply chains may reach into poor countries with patchy labor conditions far away from corporate headquarters.
Big Chocolate’s trip to the Supreme Court could have big implications for corporations|Vivienne Walt|December 1, 2020|Fortune

In fact, most firms operating in the labyrinthine digital ad ecosystem have not placed any new limits on political advertisers since 2016, especially when it comes to targeting.
‘Wouldn’t make economic sense’: Despite hyped targeting restrictions on 2020 political ads, few new limits are in place|jim cooper|October 12, 2020|Digiday
Now its labyrinthine streets decked in shades of blue are open to visitors.
Morocco's Secret All-Blue City|Nina Strochlic|August 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Less literally, they are set in the labyrinthine world within.
Joyce Carol Oates’s Book Bag: 5 Short Story Collections|Joyce Carol Oates|September 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
TAURUS Life now feels labyrinthine, which you are archetypally equipped to handle.
The Stars Predict Your Week|Starsky + Cox|October 22, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Director Christopher Nolan gave movie-going audiences an enormous amount of credit with this labyrinthine thriller.
The Highest-Grossing Films of the Year|Gina Piccalo|December 26, 2010|DAILY BEAST
He was put off by the labyrinthine vetting procedure he would have had to go through, but ultimately the job itself was a bad fit.
Obama's Foreign Aid Mess|Michelle Goldberg|August 15, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The three wended through the labyrinthine shades, finding their way with almost the instinct of wild animals.
Forging the Blades|Bertram Mitford
Labyrinthine, subterranean, and full of subtleties as all these creeds appear to be, they are easy enough to comprehend.
Islam Her Moral And Spiritual Value|Arthur Glyn Leonard
The administrative offices of a giant mill such as the Chippering in Hampton are labyrinthine.
The Dwelling Place of Light, Complete|Winston Churchill
He couldn't bring himself to force his way through the labyrinthine tangle of circumstances that surrounded her.
Balloons|Elizabeth Bibesco
There were sea-birds skimming the water as we threaded the labyrinthine channels that surround Juneau.
Over the Rocky Mountains to Alaska|Charles Warren Stoddard

British Dictionary definitions for labyrinthine

labyrinthine

labyrinthian (ˌlæbəˈrɪnθɪən) or labyrinthic (ˌlæbəˈrɪnθɪk)

/ (ˌlæbəˈrɪnθaɪn) /

adjective

of or relating to a labyrinth

resembling a labyrinth in complexity

Derived forms of labyrinthine

labyrinthically, adverb

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

labyrinthine

Origin of labyrinthine

OTHER WORDS FROM labyrinthine

Words nearby labyrinthine

Words related to labyrinthine

How to use labyrinthine in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for labyrinthine

labyrinthian (ˌlæbəˈrɪnθɪən) or labyrinthic (ˌlæbəˈrɪnθɪk)

Derived forms of labyrinthine