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Definition of knotty : 1. Difficult; intricate; perplexed.
2. Full of knots; knotted; having many knots; as, knotty timber; a knotty rope.
3. Hard; rugged; as, a knotty head.

Synonyms:

Byzantine, subtle, labyrinthine, twisty, gnarly, tortuous, carpentry, mired, snarly, elaborate, Daedalian, voluminous, debatable, confusing, contorted, sawdust, bad, problematic, problematical, involved, baffling, intricate, toughened, crooked, winding, sturdy, confused, daedal, involute, preserve, tangled, simple, knotted, sand, mortice, joinery, elusive, incomprehensible, mortise, dovetail, convolute, snarled, convoluted, knobbed, ruffianly, season, gnarled, twisting

formidable, thorny, cumbersome, contrary, strenuous, arduous, laborious, demanding, harsh, rough, uphill, ticklish, tricky, finicky, hard, fussy, troublesome, difficult, wearing, tough, stressful, wearying, complicated, complex, cantankerous, tight, severe, burdensome, wearisome, grinding, adverse, toilsome, onerous, rugged, oppressive, trying, bothersome

Usage examples:

• But before they had settled the knotty point, the engine- driver, growing tired of waiting, let off a shrill whistle from his engine and with the sound the little sleeper stirred, opened her eyes, and sat up suddenly. - "The Story of Jessie", Mabel Quiller-Couch.
• Their growth of timber is oak, tall, small, and knotty, and chestnut. - "Memoir, Correspondence, And Miscellanies, From The Papers Of Thomas Jefferson", Thomas Jefferson.
• Historians and antiquaries having alike failed to solve these knotty questions, it is proposed to refer them to a council of Spiritualists, with power to send for persons and papers. - "Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast", Samuel Adams Drake.