convoluted
adjective
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The Origin of Convoluted Isn't
Convoluted comes from Latin convolvere, meaning "to roll up, coil, or twist." It is related to the verb convolute, meaning "to twist or coil." Once something is twisted it can be literally and figuratively difficult to unravel, and can be convoluted.
Synonyms
Examples of convoluted in a Sentence
Ira Berlin, New York Times Book Review, 9 Sept. 2001
They are pictures of convoluted tree trunks on an island of pink wave-smoothed stone …
—Margaret Atwood, Harper's, August 1990
… she has been fashioning sequences of plans too convoluted to materialize …
—Joseph Heller, God Knows, 1984
To therapists, stepfamilies may present convoluted psychological dilemmas …
—Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Family Politics, 1983
a convoluted explanation that left the listeners even more confused than they were before
Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 5 Apr. 2024
As usual, the monsters have more personality than the humans, and the story is too convoluted, but the big, boomy battles are fun.
—Common Sense Media, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
The back story on what led to the turnabout is a bit convoluted, but bear with me.
—Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Several people present at internal meetings told me that Johnson had brought up convoluted arguments about the constitutional role of the Senate president pro tempore to object—regretfully—that empowering an interim Speaker would be unconstitutional.
—David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024
What Rademaker learned was that, despite the rapid growth of consumer demand for sushi, the process of catching, growing, processing and selling eels in the U.S. was oddly convoluted.
—Anne Field, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
That's because of the non-competitive nature of the current Democratic presidential field and the rapidly winnowing Republican field, coupled with the somewhat convoluted dueling contests that have made the results of the GOP primary and caucuses even more predictable.
—Soo Rin Kim, ABC News, 6 Feb. 2024
Why isn’t the aid coming in? Humanitarian organizations and governments characterize Israel’s inspection procedures for trucks as convoluted, time-intensive and often seemingly arbitrary.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
Covering British politics during this period has been like trying to remember, and explain, a very convoluted and ultimately boring dream.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'convoluted.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Convoluted.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convoluted. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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convoluted
adjective
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convoluted
adjective
More from Merriam-Webster on convoluted
Nglish: Translation of convoluted for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of convoluted for Arabic Speakers
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