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
Evan S. Medeiros, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
To plan convoluted tours like this one, trajectory planners use computer models that meticulously calculate the trajectory one step at a time.
—Quanta Magazine, 15 Apr. 2024
Indeed, the film’s main strength is not its overly familiar if convoluted plotting but rather the strong performances all around.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Apr. 2024
In moments that casually transcend reality, Rudy has conversations with his opinionated puppet Diego, an alter ego for the artist, about his lack of direction and convoluted love life.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 6 Apr. 2024
While Pakistani businessmen and consumers are forced to foot the bill for these convoluted import journeys, experts say the trade ban has backfired politically.
—Hasan Ali, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Apr. 2024
The mystery itself is fairly convoluted, but in the way the genre practically demands.
—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
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.
Dictionary Entries Near convoluted
Cite this Entry
“Convoluted.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convoluted. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
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convoluted
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convoluted
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