Word of the Day: Convoluted
What's the story
"Convoluted" is an adjective used to describe something that is very complicated and difficult to understand. It can refer to a process, explanation, argument, story, or system that has too many twists, details, or unnecessary steps, making it harder to follow than it needs to be.
Origin
Origin of the word
"Convoluted" comes from the Latin convolvere, meaning "to roll together" or "to twist."
The word originally referred to something physically twisted or rolled.
Over time, its meaning expanded to describe ideas, explanations, and situations that are unnecessarily complicated or difficult to follow.
Similar words
Words with a similar meaning
Some alternatives for "convoluted" include complicated, complex, confusing, tangled, intricate, involved, elaborate and twisted.
These words can describe something that is difficult to follow because it has many parts, details, steps, or ideas.
Sentence
Sentence usage
See it in these examples:
"The instructions were so convoluted that nobody knew what to do."
"He gave a convoluted explanation for his decision."
"The plot of the movie became increasingly convoluted."
Writing
Why use the word
"Convoluted" is helpful when you want to point out that something is complicated in a way that makes it harder to understand.
It is especially useful for describing explanations, writing, rules, or processes that could have been presented in a much simpler way.