Gordian
- adjective
- /ˈɡɔrdɪən/
- Literature
:
gordiano
- The negotiations were like a Gordian knot, with each side stubbornly stuck in their position.
And perhaps this applies to to our our understanding in our own time what this Gordian knot is.
- And perhaps this applies to to our our understanding in our own time what this Gordian knot is.
- One consequences is that it will and, and often times in a very surprising way, cut existing Gordian knots surprisingly easily.
- And so this is known as cutting the Gordian knot, that some things can't be done in the normal way at all.
- One thing I've thought a lot about is there's an interesting way to sort of cut the Gordian knot of NIMBYMB and when each the hell is NIMBY?
Examples
-
Solving the budget crisis became a Gordian challenge for the city council.
-
IT'S A GORDIAN KNOT.
-
The team's proposal was a Gordian problem that seemed impossible to resolve.
Synonyms
∞
1.6
Not easy to do or understand
876
5.4
Difficult to understand or deal with because it has many connected parts
648
5.6
Not simple because it has many connected parts
7
8.1
Full of twists and turns, like a winding road or an argument
4
6.8
Very complicated and hard to follow, like rules or relationships
1
8.1
Difficult to solve or understand, often about problems
1
8.6
Very difficult to solve, cleverly made to confuse people
Very hard to understand because it is complicated
Compounds
How Complex
Surface Forms
Morphology
Gordian = Gordian knot (opaque) = Gord + ian
Although formed with the productive suffix '-ian' from a proper-name reference, the adjectival meaning relies on cultural knowledge of the Gordian knot and is not directly derivable by learners from the base.
Etymology
The word Gordian comes from an old story about the city Gordium and its famous Gordian knot, a knot so tangled a king said whoever could 'untie' it would 'rule' the land. Because Alexander the Great cut the knot instead of untying it, a Gordian problem now means a very tangled, difficult problem that may need a bold, simple solution.