1
as in intricate
having many parts or aspects that are usually interrelated
the knotty problems that arise when every nation is part of the global marketplace
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in difficult
requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling
the candidates cautiously gave their views on an array of knotty issues
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of knotty
Erupcja, a knotty romance set in Poland, and Romain Gavras’s Sacrifice, co-starring John Malkovich.
—
Emma Alpern, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025
The knotty matter of Peacemaker‘s place in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new, Justice League-less DCU was addressed even before Thursday’s Season 2 premiere actually got underway, through the use some editing sleight-of-hand.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 21 Aug. 2025
In his crowded, knotty-pine office, several young men and women sit at desks filling out forms.
—Nicholas Pileggi, Curbed, 15 Aug. 2025
No sense in wasting your time on flailing around to solve a knotty problem.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for knotty
Emma Alpern, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025
The knotty matter of Peacemaker‘s place in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new, Justice League-less DCU was addressed even before Thursday’s Season 2 premiere actually got underway, through the use some editing sleight-of-hand.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 21 Aug. 2025
In his crowded, knotty-pine office, several young men and women sit at desks filling out forms.
—Nicholas Pileggi, Curbed, 15 Aug. 2025
No sense in wasting your time on flailing around to solve a knotty problem.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for knotty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knotty
Adjective
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Defensive struggles are all connected, because football is beautifully intricate like that, but the secondary is a problem.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
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Shortly after its dawn, dresses produced by Paris’ leading fashion houses, such as Poiret, Chanel and Lanvin, were envisaged with the same geometric, linear designs and intricate decorations that were characteristic of the revolutionary movement.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Travel could be very difficult to impossible.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
12 Oct. 2025
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This Is My Story While Israel and Hamas have accepted the two-phase agreement, many of the more difficult issues have been left unresolved.—
Richard Hall,
Time,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Moreover, parlay bets are getting more complicated as time goes on, decreasing the chances of winning.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
11 Oct. 2025
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Peter Hedges’s drama about a young recovering addict (Lucas Hedges) coming back unannounced to his family starts off promisingly, with Roberts’s supportive but wary character trying to manage her complicated feelings about her son’s return.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The end result of a tough negotiation that included a nearly two-week blackout of Disney channels on Charter in 2023 was a much closer working relationship between the two.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
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Just a week after giving birth, Menish took her six-hour Evidence exam from home in December 2023 — one of the toughest finals in the curriculum.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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These are common but complicate long-term planning for federal agencies.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Sep. 2025
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Despite differing views on a variety of security issues, the group, like Gilpatric’s, reached a clear consensus: nuclear proliferation by any additional country would diminish U.S. power, complicate strategic planning, and increase the likelihood of nuclear use, accidents, and disasters.—
MARIANO-FLORENTINO CUÉLLAR,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Avoid posting sensitive information like travel plans, birthdays or financial updates on social media.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
14 Oct. 2025
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The Creature, who remains nameless throughout the novel, develops into a sensitive and inquisitive soul, yet one shunned by the world for his appearance.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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With natural, biodegradable, and inexpensive components, such batteries could one day provide an eco-friendly alternative for powering homes or small devices without relying on toxic metals or complex supply chains.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
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The full and final details of what would be a very complex operation for tax and legal reasons are still being worked out, sources said.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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New York — The rat’s nest of AI partnerships just got a bit more tangled.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
7 Oct. 2025
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Trier paints a vivid, tender portrait of a fractured family through time, examining its tangled roots via a beautiful family home passed down through generations, where a matriarch once hung herself and where, in the present day, Gustav wants to shoot his new film.—
Rachel Handler,
Vulture,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Knotty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knotty. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
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