convoluted
1
8.5
- adjective
- /ˈkɒnvəˌluːtɪd/
- Specialized
- The plant had convoluted leaves that curled intricately around each other.
Examples
-
Only his hands and head were visible outside the bulky, convoluted black pressure suit.
Fiction book (1997) -
I saw a convoluted concrete structure near Karlshagen.
Academic text (2002) -
Understanding this process helps clarify the origin of the facial nerve's convoluted path.
Academic text (2003) -
It was not until you reached the end of a long, convoluted track between two old hedgerows that you came upon the lake.
Fiction book (2002) -
At the heart of the labyrinth lay a convoluted chamber, whorled and curved like the walls of a nautilus shell.
Fiction book (1991) -
The 19-mile-long Bosporus has a convoluted morphological structure that requires ships to change course at least twelve times, including four separate bends that require turns greater than 45 degrees.
Academic text (2009) -
The flower's petals were convoluted, tightly rolled up in the bud before blooming.
-
The artist designed a sculpture with convoluted shapes that twisted and turned in unexpected ways.
Synonyms
16
4.3
Shaped like tight rings or spirals
Edges rolled inward, as petals before they open
Edges curve inward to protect young petals or leaves
Leaf edges rolled under toward the lower side
Antonyms
How Rolled
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Convoluted comes from Latin parts con- 'together' and volvere 'to roll'. In botany it kept the original image of things 'rolled together', which is why a leaf or petal that is wrapped up in a bud is called convoluted.