knotty

[not-ee] /ˈnɒt i/

adjective, knottier, knottiest.

having knots; full of knots:

a knotty piece of wood.

involved, intricate, or difficult:

a knotty problem.

Origin

1200-50; Middle English cnotti. See knot¹, -y¹

Related forms

knottily, adverb

knottiness, noun

unknotty, adjective

Synonyms

2. complex, complicated.

Examples from the web for knotty

On the knotty but crucial question of how to reduce deforestation and the emissions it causes, progress was scanty.
It cloaks its craggy melodies within knotty instrumental textures.
For anyone wondering how pointlessly knotty the film itself can become, that's a fair indication.
The twigs are slender, spreading, zigzag with short or dark brown knotty spurs.
Tau forms knotty tangles that skew communication between nerve cells in the brain.
Knotroot foxtail is a native perennial with short, knotty rhizomes.
On a knotty, gnarly block of wood you'll need to start your split from the outside edges and slab off the sides.
Situated in a quiet wooded setting, the cabin is furnished with log-style, knotty pine furniture.

British Dictionary definitions for knotty

/ˈnɒtɪ/

adjective -tier, -tiest

(of wood, rope, etc) full of or characterized by knots

extremely difficult or intricate

Derived Forms

knottily, adverb
knottiness, noun

Word Origin and History for knotty

adj.

mid-13c. (figurative use early 13c.), from knot (n.) + -y (2). Related: Knottiness.