knotty
/'nɔti/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Tangled or full of knots: Describes something that is physically entangled, twisted, or has many knots.
- Extremely complex or difficult: Describes a problem, situation, or issue that is intricate, complicated, and hard to solve or understand.
- Gnarled or knobbly: Used to describe old trees or wood that is covered with hard, rough lumps or knots.
Examples of Usage
- Physical Tangles:
- The sailor untangled the knotty rope.
- Her hair was knotty after the windy walk.
- Complex Problems:
- The committee debated the knotty issue of tax reform for hours.
- Finding a fair solution presented a knotty challenge.
- Gnarled Appearance:
- The old oak tree had a knotty trunk.
- He carved a walking stick from a piece of knotty wood.
Advanced Usage
- "A knotty problem": A standard phrase for describing a particularly difficult and complicated issue.
- Climate change is one of the most knotty problems facing humanity.
- "Knotty point": A specific aspect of a discussion or argument that is especially complex.
- The negotiations stalled on the knotty point of intellectual property rights.
Variants and Related Words
- Knotted (adj): Tied in a knot or knots; can also mean tense (e.g., knotted muscles).
- Knot (n): A fastening made by tying a piece of string, rope, etc.; a tangled mass; a hard lump in wood; a unit of speed for ships/aircraft; a small group of people.
- Knot (v): To tie in or with a knot.
Synonyms
- Complex: Having many interconnected parts; complicated.
- Intricate: Very complicated or detailed.
- Convoluted: Extremely complex and difficult to follow.
- Tangled: Twisted together untidily; complicated.
- Gnarled: Knobbly, rough, and twisted, especially with age.
Related Phrases
- To tie oneself in knots: To become very confused when trying to explain something or solve a problem.
- He tied himself in knots trying to justify his mistake.
- To cut the Gordian knot: To solve a very difficult problem with a bold, decisive action.
- The new CEO cut the Gordian knot by selling the unprofitable division.
Related Idioms
- At a rate of knots: Very quickly.
- She finished the paperwork at a rate of knots.
- The knotty question of...: A common way to introduce a complex topic.
- The debate focused on the knotty question of privacy versus security.
Adjective
- tangled in knots or snarls
- a mass of knotted string
- snarled thread
- highly complex or intricate and occasionally devious
- the Byzantine tax structure
- Byzantine methods for holding on to his chairmanship
- convoluted legal language
- convoluted reasoning
- the plot was too involved
- a knotty problem
- got his way by labyrinthine maneuvering
- Oh, what a tangled web we weave- Sir Walter Scott
- tortuous legal procedures
- tortuous negotiations lasting for months
- used of old persons or old trees; covered with knobs or knots
- gnarled and knotted hands
- a knobbed stick
- making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe
- a baffling problem
- I faced the knotty problem of what to have for breakfast
- a problematic situation at home