convoluted
Twisted and complex
Convoluted means intricately folded or twisted, like the convolutions of the brain.
The word usually describes something unnecessarily complex or hard to follow: a convoluted plot, convoluted reasoning, convoluted bureaucratic procedures.
The tax code is so convoluted that even experts disagree on its interpretation.
Elaborately detailed, many parts
- complicatedDifficult to understand
- complexHaving many interconnected parts
- multifacetedHaving many dimensions
- sophisticatedWorldly and cultured
abstruse · esoteric · arcane · theoretical · nonlinear · Byzantine · labyrinthine · knotty
Arranged in spirals
- spiralCurve winding around center
- serpentineCurving in repeated bends
- windingCurving repeatedly, sinuous
- tortuousFull of twists
meandering · sinuous · curving · twisting · looping · helical · whorl · corkscrew
Tied with loops
- tangledTwisted confusedly together
- snarledGrowled or knotted
- entangledTwisted together inseparably
- interwovenLaced through one another
enmeshed · intertwined · raveled · matted · gnarled · twisted · jumbled · messy
Excessively ornate or elaborate
- rococoExcessively elaborate in style
- floridExcessively ornate or ruddy
- embellishedDecorated or exaggerated
- overwroughtExcessively emotional or elaborate
fussy · ornate · decorated · adorned · elaborate · extravagant · luxuriant · opulent
Causing mental confusion
- bafflingImpossible to understand
- bewilderingCausing utter confusion
- puzzlingCausing confusion or bewilderment
- obscureUnknown to most
cryptic · enigmatic · ambiguous · incomprehensible · unintelligible · inscrutable · opaque · muddled
intricate
Elaborately detailed, many parts
- complicatedDifficult to understand
- complexHaving many interconnected parts
- multifacetedHaving many dimensions
sophisticated · abstruse · esoteric · arcane · theoretical · nonlinear · Byzantine · labyrinthine · knotty · involved
coiled
Arranged in spirals
- spiralCurve winding around center
- serpentineCurving in repeated bends
- windingCurving repeatedly, sinuous
tortuous · meandering · sinuous · curving · twisting · looping · helical · whorl · corkscrew · labyrinthine
knotted
Tied with loops
interwoven · enmeshed · intertwined · raveled · matted · gnarled · twisted · jumbled · messy · complicated
baroque
Excessively ornate or elaborate
- rococoExcessively elaborate in style
- floridExcessively ornate or ruddy
- embellishedDecorated or exaggerated
overwrought · fussy · ornate · decorated · adorned · elaborate · extravagant · luxuriant · opulent · grandiloquent
perplexing
Causing mental confusion
- bafflingImpossible to understand
- bewilderingCausing utter confusion
- puzzlingCausing confusion or bewilderment
obscure · cryptic · enigmatic · ambiguous · incomprehensible · unintelligible · inscrutable · opaque · muddled · disorienting
- complexitycomplex, complicated, simple, intricate, easy
- mysteriousmysterious, cryptic, enigmatic, arcane, obscure
- ornamentationornaments, ornament, ornamentation, ornamental, embellishment
- spiralsspiral, helix, logarithmic spiral, coil, whorl
- ornate thingsornate, decorative, baroque, rococo, gilded
- inefficiencyinefficient, wasteful, unproductive, ineffective, suboptimal
convolutedstraightforward
Clear and uncomplicated
simple · uncomplicated · clear · direct · lucid
convolution, convolute, convolutions, convolutedness, convoluting, convolutes