All knotty synonyms
knot·ty
K k adj knotty
- tricky — given to or characterized by deceitful tricks; crafty; wily.
- mystifying — to perplex (a person) by playing upon the person's credulity; bewilder purposely.
- perplexing — to cause to be puzzled or bewildered over what is not understood or certain; confuse mentally: Her strange response perplexed me.
- puzzling — confusing or baffling: a puzzling answer.
- sticky — having the property of adhering, as glue; adhesive.
- thorny — abounding in or characterized by thorns; spiny; prickly.
- complicated — If you say that something is complicated, you mean it has so many parts or aspects that it is difficult to understand or deal with.
- baffling — impossible to understand; perplexing; bewildering; puzzling
- complex — Something that is complex has many different parts, and is therefore often difficult to understand.
- difficult — not easily or readily done; requiring much labor, skill, or planning to be performed successfully; hard: a difficult job.
- formidable — causing fear, apprehension, or dread: a formidable opponent.
- hard — not soft; solid and firm to the touch; unyielding to pressure and impenetrable or almost impenetrable.
- intricate — having many interrelated parts or facets; entangled or involved: an intricate maze.
- involved — very intricate or complex: an involved reply.
- labyrinthine — of, relating to, or resembling a labyrinth.
- rough — having a coarse or uneven surface, as from projections, irregularities, or breaks; not smooth: rough, red hands; a rough road.
- rugged — having a roughly broken, rocky, hilly, or jagged surface: rugged ground.
- sophisticated — sophisticated.
- terrible — distressing; severe: a terrible winter.
- tough — strong and durable; not easily broken or cut.
- uphill — up or as if up the slope of a hill or other incline; upward: The soldiers marched uphill. Water does not run uphill without assistance.
- effortful — marked by effort or exertion; labored.
- problematical — of the nature of a problem; doubtful; uncertain; questionable.
- gordian — pertaining to Gordius, ancient king of Phrygia, who tied a knot (the Gordian knot) that, according to prophecy, was to be undone only by the person who was to rule Asia, and that was cut, rather than untied, by Alexander the Great.
- mazy — full of confusing turns, passages, etc.; like a maze; labyrinthine.
- nodulous — having nodules.
- reticular — having the form of a net; netlike.
adjective knotty
- awkward — An awkward situation is embarrassing and difficult to deal with.
- problematic — of the nature of a problem; doubtful; uncertain; questionable.
- troublesome — causing trouble, annoyance, or difficulty; vexatious: a troublesome situation; a troublesome person.
- elaboration — The act or process of producing or refining with labor; improvement by successive operations; refinement.