convoluted

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 1, 2025 is: convoluted \KAHN-vuh-loo-tud\ adjective Something described as convoluted is very complicated and difficult to understand, or has many curves and turns. // The speaker’s argument was so convoluted that most of the audience had trouble determining whether they were for or against the new policy. // The route from the airport to the village was long and convoluted. [See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convoluted) Examples: “The publishing house had recently declined to publish my new book and one of their editors appeared in my inbox, asking for a [blurb](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blurb) for an upcoming title. Because this felt awkward, I made a convoluted show of declining. So convoluted that my reply left several avenues for them to come back and ask again. Rather than isolate the issue in a clear way, I coughed up a blurb.” — Sloane Crosley, LitHub.com, 12 Mar. 2025 Did you know? If you’ve ever felt your brain twisting itself into a pretzel while trying to follow a complicated or hard-to-follow line of reasoning, you’ll appreciate the relative simplicity of the adjective convoluted, which is perfect for describing [head-scratchers](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/head-scratcher) (and pretzel-makers). Convoluted traces back to the Latin verb convolvere, meaning “to roll up, coil, or twist.” Originally, convoluted (like its predecessor in English, the verb [convolute](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convolute)) was used in the context of things having literal [convolutions](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convolution)—in other words, twisty things like intestines or a ram’s horns. Over time it expanded to figuratively describe things like arguments, plots, stories, logic, etc., that are intricate or feature many twists and turns that make them difficult to understand.