Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Extremely intricate, complex, or difficult to solve: Describes something that is exceptionally complicated or tangled, often seemingly impossible to resolve. This meaning is almost exclusively used in the fixed phrase "Gordian knot."

Examples of Usage

• Adjective:
  • The political situation was a Gordian knot of conflicting interests. (The political situation was an extremely intricate problem of conflicting interests.)
  • They faced a Gordian problem with no easy solution in sight. (They faced an extremely complex problem with no easy solution in sight.)

Advanced Usage

• "To cut the Gordian knot": This is the primary and most common usage. It is an idiom meaning to solve a very difficult or intricate problem with a bold, decisive, and often unconventional action.
  • The CEO decided to cut the Gordian knot by selling the troubled division. (The CEO decided to solve the extremely complex problem by selling the troubled division.)
  • Sometimes, you need a creative approach to cut the Gordian knot. (Sometimes, you need a creative approach to solve an extremely intricate problem.)

Variants and Related Words

• Gordian knot (noun phrase): The standard compound term referring to the intricate problem itself.
  • The budget deficit is the Gordian knot of this administration. (The budget deficit is the extremely complex problem of this administration.)

Synonyms

• Intricate: Very detailed or complicated.
• Knotty: Full of knots; figuratively, very complex and difficult.
• Byzantine: Excessively complex and intricate.
• Convoluted: Extremely complex and difficult to follow.

Related Idioms

• "Cut the Gordian knot": As described in 'Advanced Usage,' this is the core idiom. It originates from the legend of Alexander the Great, who solved the puzzle of the Gordian knot not by untying it but by cutting it with his sword.

Adjective

1. extremely intricate; usually in phrase `Gordian knot'