knottier; knottiest
: marked by or full of knots
especially
: so full of difficulties and complications as to be likely to defy solution
a knotty problem
knottiness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of knotty in a Sentence
the knotty problems that arise when every nation is part of the global marketplace
the candidates cautiously gave their views on an array of knotty issues
Recent Examples on the Web
The whirling spool snarled the line into a knotty tangle and the sprinting snook snapped it like a strand of blond hair.
—
Charles Elliott, Outdoor Life, 27 June 2024
The issue of Israel and Palestine is famously knotty.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 24 June 2024
Photo: Joan Marcus Scheer, who got a bunch of buzz with the morally knotty Our Dear Dead Drug Lord (and then apparently worked on rewrites of Bad Cinderella), is good with a certain cynical wit, but her aim here is scattered.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 5 June 2024
Yet experts say the pray-for-rain approach is a risky, short-term strategy in the face of a knotty long-term problem.
—Laura Paddison, CNN, 17 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for knotty 
Charles Elliott, Outdoor Life, 27 June 2024
The issue of Israel and Palestine is famously knotty.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 24 June 2024
Photo: Joan Marcus Scheer, who got a bunch of buzz with the morally knotty Our Dear Dead Drug Lord (and then apparently worked on rewrites of Bad Cinderella), is good with a certain cynical wit, but her aim here is scattered.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 5 June 2024
Yet experts say the pray-for-rain approach is a risky, short-term strategy in the face of a knotty long-term problem.
—Laura Paddison, CNN, 17 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for knotty
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'knotty.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near knotty
Cite this Entry
“Knotty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knotty. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
knotty
adjective
knot·ty
ˈnät-ē 
knottier; knottiest
1
: full of knots
knotty wood
2
: difficult sense 2b
a knotty problem
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